Music: Max Martin & Friends
Book: David West Read
Director: Luke Sheppard
Having dominated the West End for over 5 years, successfully transferring to Broadway, and productions around the world, &Juliet is a rarity – a jukebox musical that truly works. Now it gets to find new audiences aplenty as it tours the UK.
Based on the music of Max Martin, the pop impresario who has penned million-selling singles for the likes of Britney Spears, Pink, Bon Jovi, Backstreet Boys, and many more, &Juliet is a bold, brash, and exuberant tale of self-discovery and empowerment.
It’s a parallel story of a fictitious reworking of Romeo & Juliet, where Shakespeare (Jay McGuiness) is emotionally coerced into reworking the ending of his tragedy with his wife, Anne Hathaway (Lara Denning). As they rework the ending, the new narrative is played out in front of them. In their new version, at Anne’s behest, Juliet (Gerardine Sacdalan), decides not to kill herself on waking from her sleep potion seeing a dead Romeo (Liam Morris) at her side. Instead, realising that there’s probably more to life than she’s had so far, goes on a road trip with her best friends and Nanny (Sandra Marvin)
The trip to Paris is far from plain sailing. A new love interest comes her way, Nanny re-finds her long-lost love, who happens to be the father of Juliet’s new love interest. He, however, is in love with Juliet’s non-binary best friend and, to top it all off, Romeo comes back from the dead to reclaim Juliet. Just your average Elizabethan soap opera.
The story is fantastical, but it works, primarily because it provides the perfect canvas to integrate the multitude of Martin’s hits. Shakespeare and Anne arguing about writing the new ending… cue I Want it That Way. Juliet getting engaged for the second time… Oops, I Did It Again’. Juliet explaining to Romeo that she’s moved on with her life… Since U Been Gone. And so it goes.
It sounds contrived, and it is, but it absolutely works. Martin’s songs are a powerhouse of pop greatness that have more depth and impact than the original hits may have indicated. Put into their new context, they provide real emotional engagement and also offer up a little smirk as you realise which hit has been introduced to the story.
The production is pretty faithful to the original West End show. There are some minor set changes and revised choreography to better suit a touring production, but nothing that impacts the overall show. The performances, however, are a mixed bag. The female characters are glorious. At the heart are Sacdalan and Denning, as Juliet and Anne. They hold the show together and deliver belting performances ticking all the boxes of great vocals, dance and acting. Marvin is equally delightful as Nanny, and surprisingly, Ranj Singh (better known as TV’s Dr Ranj), is more than capable of holding his own amongst this talent. Unfortunately, the rest of the male cast fails to deliver. McGuiness, from boyband The Wanted, delivers an unexpectedly lacklustre performance that is made all the more noticeable by the sheer vibrancy and energy of the rest of the cast. Liam Morris and Kyle Cox (Romeo and Francois), give charming acting performances but can’t deliver when it comes to the singing.
It’s a tribute to the production that, with nearly 50% of the main cast delivering sub-standard performances, the show is still deliriously enjoyable. The band and chorus keep the energy and momentum driving at full pace and pick up the slack for much of the vocal mishaps. A bit like a trip to Vegas, you need to take it for what it is. This is a show designed to be fun. And it is. It’s loud, funny, energetic, emotional, and delightfully inclusive. Go in, relax, and be prepared for a gloriously tongue-in-cheek assault on your eyes and ears.
Runs until 1 Feb 2025 (touring the UK until 28 Jun 2025)
The Reviews Hub Score
Gloriously entertaining
