Though footnotes noting where the libretto is an exact quote or a paraphrase of its original literary source are present, Faust/Romeo Et Juliette is far more than a simple scholarly or literary reference; it is intended especially for anyone determined to faithfully produce, conduct, or perform Gounod's great operas regardless of their level of fluency in French, and to this end includes literary source footnotes and essays explaining the development of the libretti.

Though footnotes noting where the libretto is an exact quote or a paraphrase of its original literary source are present, Faust/Romeo Et Juliette is far more than a simple scholarly or literary reference; it is intended especially for anyone determined to faithfully produce, conduct, or perform Gounod's great operas regardless of their level of fluency in French, and to this end includes literary source footnotes and essays explaining the development of the libretti.

For this operatic retelling Taymor cowrote the libretto with award-winning gay poet and scholar J.