& Juliet 🪶

#PRInvite #Gifted | CAN'T STOP THE FEELING! as '& Juliet' is taking over Aberdeen Performing Arts this week - and it's "F****n' Perfect".

Star rating: ★★★★★

Oops... I Did It Again! It’s not often I’m booked to see the same show twice in one week, but I wouldn’t want to miss out on the best show which has come to town in such a long time at His Majesty’s Theatre. ‘& Juliet’ is herefore art thou - the new musical which has roared its way to the West End and Broadway recently. Between the story’s travels from Verona to Paris, it had everyone dancing in the aisles at last night’s Press Night. The show, which debuted in Manchester in 2019, is touring the UK for ‘One More Try’ after such a huge success at both sides of the Atlantic, nominated and winning some of the most prestigious awards in musical theatre. Though this is a title many may have never heard, or one they are skeptical of, trust me when I say ‘this place about to Blow’ until the 8th of February here, as ‘& Juliet’ throws its pink sparkles around the Granite City.

It is only February, but this is Aberdeen’s show of the year.

The title is a brand new take on Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet, questioning why Juliet had to experience the same fateful ending as her star-crossed lover - and what might happen if she was to rewrite her ending of the classic play. I first heard of the show’s development in 2018 when one of my friends was involved in a workshop of it in London. At the time, the news of this was not received well. I am an English teacher by day, and the idea of remixing one of Shakespeare’s bests in a bold and eccentric way raised my eyebrows. The title ‘& Juliet’ - what even is that grammatical mess? More so, I was genuinely horrified when I learned that not only is this a modern reinvention, but it is injected with the music of Max Martin - the composer behind the greatest pop songs of the century. Some of the hits include the iconic music of Britney Spears, Backstreet Boys, Katy Perry and Ariana Grande.

Frankly, it sounds ridiculous and on paper it should never work. But it does. It absolutely does. Consider me shaken when the show launched a year later, electrifying a true love for theatre at its very best - becoming the most impressive show I have ever seen. And now, it's here, in my hometown!

‘& Juliet’ opens with the introduction of William Shakespeare - no longer an Elizabethan playwright, but a boyband-esque hunk who has just finished writing his latest tragedy, ‘Romeo and Juliet’. His wife, Anne Hathaway, comes home after a few glasses of red with the girls, demanding an update on his work. Appalled to learn that the planned ending for Juliet - a young, promising girl with a bright future ahead of her - consists of her ending her life for a man she’s only just met, Anne starts to take control. What would happen if she manages to convince Shakespeare to rewrite her woeful ending? What would happen if women held the pen? And what would happen if Anne helped Shakespeare rewrite all of his plays? 

The story is energetic, quick and witty - but also encompasses poignant themes of falling in and out of love, the hardships of marriage, whilst also exploring notions of gender identity and expression - fit for the twenty-first century. Noting that when ‘Romeo and Juliet’ was first staged in the 1600s, women had no rights to perform; so this is not a ‘woke’ attempt at educating audiences about the transgender community, but a touching way of reclaiming history and proving why this shouldn’t cause any bother to anyone in the modern age.

The idea of Shakespeare being guided by the women in his life is not historically inaccurate either. As controversial as I may sound: there is a contested theory which suggests that Shakespeare was actually illiterate and used his position in the Elizabethan patriarchy to publish the works of the women hiding in his shadow. It is thought that Aemilia Bassano, Shakespeare’s assumed Dark Lady, was the real genius behind his plays - having an influence in ‘Love’s Labours Lost’ and ‘Othello’. So whilst ‘& Juliet’ is a quirky and fun reinterpretation of ‘Romeo and Juliet’, the show has the potential to open audiences’ minds about what could have happened in a time if women weren’t rendered so helpless without a male counterpart in the seventeenth century. It is female empowerment at its best - meaningful, assertive and it quizzes why women were ever left out of the portrait. Though Shakespeare’s plays are not the musical’s only link to literature, as ‘& Juliet’ unearths the tragic story of Anne Hathaway and Shakespeare’s marriage, which book worms may recognise from Maggie O’Farrell’s ‘Hamnet’.

The musical’s selling point is its music - for which “music is the food of love”. The arrangements and orchestrations are created by Bill Sherman, and overseen by Max Martin, and they are phenomenal. Unlike typical jukebox musicals, every pop anthem included in the score has been completely deconstructed and rebuilt again for the stage. In fact, it is hard to believe that these earworms were not written solely for ‘& Juliet’ when you see it. Martin’s influence on the production can be clearly felt as these are respectful to the originals, but are completely unique for the show. What a catalogue of songs, too, as the show features 28 tunes you will recognise, with one original song called ‘One More Try’ created specifically for the show. Alongside some exhilarating choreography by Jennifer Weber, these pop anthems are revitalised and will have you running to the cast album as soon as you get out of the theatre.

Perhaps the best part about the music is that the lyrics take on entirely new meanings - and this emphasises the genius of Max Martin. Each song has been crafted with such consideration that taking them to the stage is no real surprise in hindsight. I loved the new take on Britney’s ‘...Baby One More Time’ and the circular framing when these lyrics were revisited in ‘Stronger’. I also loved just how many there are, and the laughs that come along the way when the audience realise what each character is about to sing. Ultimately, it is a Max Martin Marathon - and even when you feel there are too many, and you want the run to wrap up - the end has an extraordinary payoff. What is the ‘Problem’ with too many songs if they are performed at this calibre? And I can confirm, no running was necessary to sustain this level of endorphins.

David West Read’s book soars in this production, blending some real moments of Shakespearean language and classic quotes with today’s language register. Actually, at points of the show, I felt it was serving to show just how much our language has broken down since the Golden Era, and how the language of love has been replaced with cheapened English, almost like a self-examination. It is a brilliant script, combining humour and touching moments - and should be more culturally appropriated on social media for sure. There is no denying that the script is bonkers, but every single person revelled in it last night.

‘& Juliet’ is designed by Soutra Gilmour who has created the set - which boasts loads of impressive scenery and an LED wall to maintain the show’s contemporary feel. I was prepared to miss the mechanics of the London production, which sported lifts and a revolve in its staging, but Weber’s choreography and Luke Sheppard’s direction was given the chance to thrive without it. In fact, it enhanced the ensemble role of ‘the players’ who were Shakespeare’s on hand cast members tasked with performing whatever he wrote, so I loved the shift to manual set changes over London’s automations. The clear mega-budget is impressive - I couldn’t believe how much set and staging was perfectly handled by HMT.

Howard Hudson is the lighting designer, expertly transitioning between softer moments into a real-life pop concert effortlessly. Paloma Young excels as the costume designer, creating a perfect fusion of Shakespearean and hip-hop costumes - each member of the cast sports their own distinctive look and this compliments the overall construction of the show. There is a particular costume moment towards the end which is exhilarating and at this point, I felt quite emotional at how perfectly manufactured ‘& Juliet’ is - it is a sheer beauty to witness.

‘& Juliet’ delivers with its casting, with three stars taking the lead. Jay McGuiness from The Wanted plays the role of Shakespeare - growing into the role as the show progressed. Sandra Marvin from Emmerdale is Angeliqué, Juliet’s Nurse, and she is made for this comedic role and has her chance to shine with some impressive vocals. Lee Latchford-Evans from Steps is Lance - so well blended into the French-man’s role that I forgot it was him for the first ten minutes. This is star casting done right, and I am so pleased that including these big names paid off.

Jordan Broatch is May and they were exceptional. This character is such an important source of representation for the transgender and non-binary community - and with such hate and distaste being directed towards these identities right now, May is the perfect reminder that there is nothing to fear with people who don’t fit the binary. Lara Dennning was hair-raising as Anne Hathaway - a really grounded and emotive role, yet still lots of fun. Her vocals are outstanding, and her performance of ‘That’s The Way It Is’ was completely heartbreaking.

Gerardine Sacdalan is nothing short of phenomenal as Juliet. Lacking no abundance of energy, she also provided some of the best vocals of the night. Juliet is no easy sing, and I was glad to see some changes in the arrangements for the character to make this more bearable since its run in London. Truthfully, how she manages such a big sing whilst flying and performing full-out choreography is astonishing. Just like Juliet's bright future, Gerardine is destined for a healthy career following this debut - and I look forward to following her success. Some of her riffs had me audibly gasping - and she more than proves why Juliet is deserving of a much better ending.

As far as touring productions go, ‘& Juliet’ is one of the best I have seen at His Majesty’s Theatre. Despite so many lacking knowledge of this show, I was thrilled to see a full house last night and hope this continues throughout the rest of the week. I, for one, am planning third return visit just this week. I've long hoped Max Martin would remix another Shakespeare play, but I really don't think the magic of '& Juliet' can be replicated again. It's also screaming out for a film adaptation - so Universal, get going!

Credits

Instagram links: @theatregramuk, @aberdeenperformingarts, @julietmusical

Review by Joel Simpson cc: theatregram@gmail.com

Production photos supplied by Aberdeen Performing Arts