Reimagining Shakespeare’s classic, “& Juliet” turns the story on its head, promoting Juliet to the main character and exploring life after Romeo. The jukebox musical features the music of Max Martin – you may not have heard of him, but you will definitely know his work, as Martin has achieved the most #1s of any music producer, writing songs for popstars such as Backstreet Boys, Britney Spears, Katy Perry, Pink, Taylor Swift and Ariana Grande. As such, this musical is full of hit after hit, the entire show uplifting and fun. Whilst the production may feel a little too light and fluffy at times, beneath it all there is a strong message about acceptance, confidence and what it means to be in love, paired together with some in-depth character work and surprising plot twists that help to create a story that keeps the audience engaged throughout.
The premise of the story is this: Shakespeare (Jay McGuinness) invites his wife Anne (Lara Denning) to London to watch the premiere of his new show “Romeo and Juliet”. However, unhappy with the tragic ending, Anne proposes that they rewrite the story, removing Juliet’s final death scene and exploring what happens to her in the wake of Romeo’s suicide. As such, “& Juliet” is born, and the show is punctuated with brief interludes from Shakespeare and Anne, who also get involved themselves, playing characters that occasionally break the fourth wall and try to gently guide the story to a more satisfying conclusion. The entire show is framed around the relationship between Shakespeare and Anne, and whilst this may bear very little resemblance to actual history, it mostly works as an exploration of a couple who have steadily grown distant from each other due to the responsibilities of parenting and working life. This culminates in Anne’s powerful ballad “That’s the way it is”, with fabulous vocals from Denning, before the pair finally resolve their issues in “I want it that way”. Despite this, there are some emotional beats that don’t quite work – the death of Anne and Shakespeare’s son is briefly mentioned but never properly explored (which begs the question as to why it is mentioned at all) – but mostly this is an enjoyable and comedic framing for this alternative telling of the classic story.
There is no doubt that the star of the show is Gerardine Sacdalan’s Juliet, who bursts onto the stage with a mind-blowing performance of “…Baby one more time”, and never lets up. This is a true tour-de-force of a performance, with Sacdalan nailing the vocals and the incredibly complicated dance moves throughout – even climbing up and swinging on a chandelier during the Renaissance Ball! Most of all, she is incredibly likeable, winning us over in her opening scene and ensuring that we root for her throughout. Her relationships with other cast members feel genuine, whilst her vocals never fail to amaze. As she belts out Katy Perry’s “Roar”, and confetti cannons shower the audience, one could be forgiven for thinking we were watching the actual pop star in concert.
More comedic moments are delivered by Juliet’s nurse Angeliqué (Sandra Marvin) and Lance (Lee Latchford-Evans), whose cheeky asides and over-the-top facial expressions never fail to get a laugh, although Marvin’s rendition of “Teenage Dream” felt a little off – perhaps not best suited to her voice. Thankfully, later performances of “Oops!…I did it again” and Pink’s “F*ckin Perfect” allow Marvin to show her incredible talent, whilst Latchford-Evans nails the exaggerated French accent throughout in a way that is able to carefully straddle the fine line between funny and annoying.
The most interesting aspect of the show comes from the relationship between May (Jordan Broatch) and Frankie (Kyle Cox). Whilst the rest of the play hits the usual emotional beats, and could feel a little tired in today’s musical theatre world, it is this storyline that makes the show feel fresh and exciting. As a portrayal of a non-binary character, Broatch’s May is ground-breaking because it doesn’t feel ground-breaking. A clever reworking of the song “”I’m not a girl, not yet a woman” gives May an opportunity to question their gender identity, in a way that will feel relatable to theatre-goers old and young. It doesn’t feel shoe-horned or done “for the sake of it”, it feels genuine and shines a light on an aspect of sexuality rarely explored in media. It helps that Broatch’s performance is so natural and down-to-earth, and the chemistry they share with Cox’s Frankie is a joy to watch, with an incredibly sweet performance of “I kissed a girl”, which helps to bring May’s gender-questioning storyline to a satisfying conclusion. It is this storyline that will stick in my mind for a long time as something that raises awareness without feeling like a school lesson (take note, Why am I so single?).
At the beginning of this show, I really wanted to hate it – I am one of those stick-in-the-mud types that feels Shakespeare should not be rewritten to this extent. But the show has a way of drawing you in – the infectious music from orchestrator Bill Sherman, the loud and obnoxious sound design from Gareth Owen, Jennifer Weber’s exhausting choreography and David West Read’s carefully crafted story all merge together in a cocktail of fun and wonder that will be able to raise a smile from even the most reticent of theatre-goers. What is most refreshing about this musical is that it is a story of female empowerment that accomplishes that without making men out to be the bad guys. Even Jack Danson’s Romeo is given significant character development in the second half. As such, this is a message that everyone can get behind – and have a lot of fun doing so at the same time.
Tom Morley, April 2025
For more information on how I decide on star ratings, see here: Star ratings – Broken Legs Blog
Review round-up:
Elemental Theatre: & Juliet – UK Tour – Review – a whopping five stars from ETC, who say “& Juliet isn’t just a night out, it’s a serotonin injection with a side of Shakespeare“
BeyondTheCurtain: & Juliet – UK and Ireland Tour Review – Five stars also from BTC, who summarise by saying “this story celebrates all kinds of love makes it truly one not to miss and brings a feel good feeling throughout.”
Kev Castle Theatre Reviews – & Juliet Finally, if you’re after a review filled with Shakespeare-related puns, check out Kev Castle’s blog, who states “Shakespeare is known for his comedy, romance and tragedies, but the only tragedy here is if you don’t get a ticket for this excellent show.”
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