Yellowknife (Apr 14/06) - Drama students at Sir John Franklin high school have spent months preparing a Shakespearean masterpiece.

"It's been very demanding," said Grade 12 student Brad Hussey during an intense practice session. "But it will totally pay off."

He said a strong class of drama students would help make the production, which starts at NACC next week, something special.

"This is the craziest show we've ever put on," he said, beaming.

So why was the whole cast dancing and singing to Billy Idol's "White Wedding?"

"It's actually a parody of Romeo and Juliet," explained stage manager Patrick Peers, 18.

He said the play thrusts the star-crossed lovers into the modern day, where Romeo and, uh, Winifred (the play's namesakes), are department store heirs, torn apart by their families' competitive retail world.

"People who know Shakespeare's work will get a bit more of a kick out of it," said Peers, as the play brings in humorous nods to Hamlet, Macbeth and As You Like It.

For the rest of us, the play features a number of popular songs and pop-culture references, all meant to heighten the ridiculousness of the play.

Choreographer Laura MacNeill, 18, said the production has been a very creative process, as each actor was able to re-invent his or her character.

"I think people are going to be really surprised by the dynamics onstage," she said.

Romeo and Winifred starts on April 13 and runs until April 22.