If there’s one thing I’ve itched to do during the five times I’ve seen & Juliet, it’s sing along to each song. Using a library of songs helmed by Swedish producer Max Martin, my Y2K heart finds it hard to resist music by Britney Spears, The Backstreet Boys and Katy Perry. But out of courtesy to everyone, I refrained from singing along…until now.
After the success of first sing-along performance in April, & Juliet returns with another one which I immediately knew I needed to see.
& Juliet Sing-Along
Venue: Shaftesbury Theatre
Date: August 26th 2022
Cast:
- Juliet: Miriam-Teak Lee
- William Shakespeare: Alex Tranter (u/s)
- Anne Hathaway: Collette Guitart (u/s)
- Angelique/Nurse: Malinda Parris
- May: Alex Smith
- Romeo: Tom Francis
- Francois: Tim Mahendran
- Lance: Ivan de Frietas (u/s)
Ensemble: Rhian Duncan, Bessy Ewas, Cassandra Lee, Nathan Louis Fernand, Carl Man, Christian Maynard, Rachel Moran, Owen Saward, Aaron Shales, Jaz Terry
Rating: ★★★★★
What is & Juliet about?
On the day William Shakespeare debuts his brand new play Romeo & Juliet, the ending where two starcrossed lovers die gets a less than stellar reaction from his wife Anne Hathaway. As it’s her one day off from looking after their daughters in Stratford Upon-Avon, Anne persuades William to write a new story answering this question: What if Juliet didn’t kill herself? From there, Juliet’s story takes her from fair Verona to the city of love, Paris with Anne, best friend May and her nurse Angelique. During Juliet’s journey of self-discovery, Anne and William butt heads over the direction of the play which lead to twist and turns including a surprising love triangle and the arrival of a not-quite-dead Romeo.
Oh, and there are pop hits including …Baby One More Time, I Want It That Way, Blow and I Kissed A Girl.
What are my thoughts on & Juliet?
I’ll be using this review as a chance to express my opinions of & Juliet and if the fact that I had seen the show five times prior is any indication, I absolutely love it. The idea when written on paper may sound insane on paper, but the execution is what saves it.
Outside of Max Martin’s infectiously fun bubblegum pop gorgeously and smartly rearranged by Bill Sherman, Luke Sheppard (Schitt’s Creek) and David West Read’s book is irreverent, silly yet completely self aware that makes the premise easy to run with. While a show littered with fourth wall breaks, meta jokes calling out the original play and familiar tunes with their use alone garnering laughs, what keeps it from feeling shallow is its heart is in the right place.
& Juliet is ultimately an empowering story about a woman gaining her own independence, and there are plenty of poignant and emotional moments that allow all the characters to express their honest selves. While offering songs including a funny mash-up of Break Free and Teenage Dream and …Oops I Did It Again, they also lead to heartwarming, if not gut-punching renditions of Britney Spears’ I’m Not A Girl Not Yet A Woman and Celine Dion’s That’s The Way It Is and a smart callback to The Backstreet Boys’ I Want It That Way.
What helps & Juliet’s tone and high energy is its spectacular visuals filled with vibrant colours and a handful of glitter. Paloma Young’s beautiful costumes incorporate modern silhouettes with Tudor era details that make me want to cosplay (yes, I’m going to Musical Con which I shall be documenting). Complementing the costumes is Soutra Gilmour’s dazzling set design featuring LED video projections and elaborate sequences including Juliet hanging from a chandelier at a club, Romeo and Juliet on a swing flying over a starry Paris and a hilarious use of The Backstreet Boy’s Everybody I don’t want to spoil.
What was the cast like?
You’re going to quickly see that this section is a love letter to pretty much every & Juliet cast member as it’s gotten to the point I recognise the ensemble member and swing’s characters. A diverse and ultra-talented company giving their all, you’re also going to see some #UnderstudyLove from this sing-along performance.
Miriam-Teak Lee brings the same fire and confidence to Juliet I’ve loved each time I’ve seen her (also shoutout to previous and current alternates Grace Mouat and Zara MacIntosh who I’ve also seen) as she tries navigating what she really wants while circumstances force her to regress to familiar beats. With a powerful voice and dynamic presence during songs like Confident and …Baby One More Time, you’re immediately won over the likability and vulnerability Lee brings to this classic character. In other words, it’s always easy to see why her performance was worthy of an Olivier Award.
Alex Trantar’s self congratulatory bard William Shakespeare may the closest thing to an antagonist as his need to preserve his legacy as the world’s most renowned playwright comes to a head with his spirited wife. As he schemes his way into changing the story, he realises how much the play means to Anne and the
Helping Juliet through her journey is a colourful collection of supporting characters including Malinda Parris as Angelique. A phenomenal follow-up to Melanie La Barrie and Keala Settle, Parris adds her own humour, sass and heart to Angelique she tries to look after Juliet at the expense of her own happiness with former flame Lance (Ivan De Frietas). Tim Mahendran’s Francois Du Bois is shy and sweet as Juliet’s new love interest who she inspires to be more confident, while Tom Francis plays a more douchey (and drag queen as confirmed in this performance) Romeo who crossed stars with more people than we first thought.
Another standout is Alex Thomas Smith (they/he/she), who brings the right amount of vulnerability and joy to Juliet’s best friend May. With more calls for positive representation of non-binary characters in light of recent events, seeing May’s story on stage is hopefully an indicator of a more inclusive world today. With numbers including Whataya Want From Me and the aforementioned I’m Not A Girl Not Yet A Woman, also makes May stand out is their gender identity doesn’t define their personality, as they get their own sweet romance I wish I could spoil.
Amongst the loveable cast, the character who always stood out to me is Anne Hathaway, played by the incredible Collette Guitart in this sing-along performance who I previously had the pleasure of seeing as Jane Seymour in Six. A woman often seen as a footnote in her husband’s story outside of the elephant in the room, Anne uses this Romeo & Juliet rewrite as a chance to work with William and let Juliet control her own narrative while being seen as more than her husband’s second best bed.
How did the & Juliet sing-along differ from a usual performance?
Somehow this performance was more fun and clearly an event for the fans. With people wearing t-shirts of the character’s faces and even dressing up, they helped with the show’s high energy that partly made me feel bad that I was sat next to a couple who never saw the show. We weren’t just singing along. We were also reciting lines and embracing the silliness of the show. And yes, I nearly lost my voice after act one ended from trying to sing every song without any vocal training or warmups.
I’m happy that & Juliet is starting to get more attention now that it has the chance to have a proper run in the West End following the COVID-19 lockdowns, and I’m excited to see how New York receives it after hearing the positive word of mouth from its successful tryout in Toronto. Given that this sing-along performance resulted in a full house, hopefully this will inspire other jukebox musicals in the West End to have a go at doing sing-along shows.
What are your thoughts on sing-along performances? Have you ever seen & Juliet? Be sure to comment below!
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