Review: & Juliet, Lyceum Theatre

The central question in & Juliet is what would have happened if Juliet had not committed suicide when she discovered Romeo was dead. 

Well, Shakespeare (Jay McGuiness) likes it the way it is, and he has the all-powerful quill. His wife, Anne Hathaway (Lara Denning), is unconvinced, declaring that the ending needs improvement. After all, Juliet was only 13 and had known Romeo for less than a week. So, after a bit of female manipulation and a duet of ‘I Want It That Way’, Shakespeare agrees to indulge his wife and passes her the quill.

McGuiness and Denning hit all the right notes as Shakespeare and Anne. Their bickering is fun, and they both have great singing voices. Denning has wonderful comic timing, but her portrayal also has emotional depth. Her duet with Juliet of ‘That’s The Way It Is’ is sung excellently by both actors, but Denning’s reprise as she comes to realise her own lack of control as a wife is powerful, moving, and one of the production’s highlights.

Juliet is played by relative newcomer Gerardine Sacdalan and she throws everything at the role. She really is a triple threat – her performance is confident and strong, and her singing, acting and dancing are first rate. One to watch.

Under Anne’s control, Romeo becomes a womaniser who didn’t deserve Juliet, and she creates lifelong best friends for Juliet, April (played by herself) and May. May is beautifully played by Jordan Broatch, a nonbinary character who falls for Juliet’s new fiancé, François (a nicely conflicted performance from Kyle Cox). As Anne says, Shakespeare’s plays are full of men playing women and vice versa, so May fits right in.

Juliet’s engagement to François happens quite by accident, and it’s clear that he is really in love with May. When the proposal happens, Juliet looks straight out at the audience and sings ‘Oops!…I Did It Again’ in a delightful, perfectly timed comic moment. 

Another sub-plot has Juliet’s Nurse, Angelique, reconnecting with François’ father and former lover, Lance. Sandra Marvin is wonderful as Angelique – her portrayal is hilarious and her singing is a joy. Her rendition of Pink’s ‘F***in’ Perfect’ is exactly that! As Lance, TV Doctor Ranj Singh is a surprisingly capable singer with some deft comedic touches.

At the end of Act 1, Shakespeare grabs the quill and brings back Romeo (amusingly played by Benjamin Jackson Walker) to introduce some conflict, much to Anne’s annoyance. 

This is a highly entertaining production with all the songs taken from Max Martin’s string of hits over the last 30 years. The singing is uniformly excellent from the principals and ensemble, and the choreography is tight and energetic. The set is perfect for this production and visually spectacular. It has a video wall backdrop of drawings showing the locations of the scenes. Actors are raised high above the stage several times, with one duet from Juliet and Romeo, ‘One More Try’, being sung while sitting on an illuminated moon as it rises, with fireworks on the back wall. It looked stunning.

Tonight’s audience was thoroughly entertained, cheering each cast member and the band as they took their bows, and, as ticker tape was released into the auditorium, they enthusiastically gave the cast a standing ovation. The combination of endless classics from Max Martin, talented performances and engaging set design has me in full agreement with the crowd that this is a great night out.

Book by: David West Read
Music by: Max Martin & Friends
Directed by: Luke Sheppard
Choreographed by: Jennifer Weber
Music Supervision, Orchestrations & Arrangements by: Bill Sherman
Set designed by: Soutra Gilmour

& Juliet plays at The Lyceum, Sheffield until May 31 as part of a UK & Ireland tour