Kinoteater’s production, Romula ja Julia, swapped actors for an ensemble of heavy-duty vehicles and set the drama in an abandoned limestone quarry near Rummu. The performance was almost entirely wordless, with the plot conveyed through the movements, “expressions,” and interactions of the machines.

In this unconventional retelling, Romeo took the form of a rally truck, Juliet was portrayed by a red Ford Ranger pickup making its stage debut, and the fatal duel between Tybalt and Mercutio became a tense mechanical face-off between two excavators swinging their metal buckets.

“We wanted to explore what it means to stage Shakespeare today — and whether machines could carry the emotional weight of the story,” co-director Henrik Kalmet told ERR News. His fellow co-director, Paavo Piik, added that the tension between powerful industrial vehicles and Shakespeare’s themes of tenderness and passion was key to the experiment.

Audience reactions suggested that the gamble paid off. “Even though they were cars, it felt sweet and cute,” one spectator told Reuters. “When you saw them ‘kissing,’ you could feel the energy and affection.” Others described the show as touching, sincere, and surprisingly emotional.

Behind the scenes, the production required ten drivers, two mechanics, a pyrotechnics specialist, and an excavator operator to bring the star-crossed lovers to life.