& Juliet

SO INFECTIOUS was the explosion of talent, exuberance and enthusiasm of the cast that I felt as if I had inadvertently stumbled on to the TV set of Glee.

In truth that I did not expect to enjoy - or even like – this musical. Jukebox musicals always present something of a difficulty to me. However, there is a strong contemporary positive message of being true to oneself - on many different levels.

My issue with the jukebox musical is that it will either become a lengthy bio, or there is a flimsy plot which barely disguises the attempts to shoehorn all the songs in. Somehow & Juliet defies all those assumptions, with the songs woven into the action so cleverly that it is very difficult to discern whether or not they were actually written for the piece or not. In this case none of them were.

The playlist is from the pen of Swedish record producer and songwriter, Max Martin. Few of us will have heard of him, but we all know his songs – for the Backstreet Boys I Want It That Way and Shape of My Heart; for Brittany Spears …Baby One More Time and I’m a Girl, Not Yet a Woman, and latterly Roar for Katy Perry. Add to this songs for Usher, Pink, Avril Lavigne, Christina Aguilera and Taylor Swift, and you have a catalogue that could fit any occasion which is precisely what these songs do.

Against this background of catchy contemporary music, we add a timeless Shakespearean plot embroidered with alternatives and laced with plenty of 21^st century attitudes, delivered in an appropriate exaggerated style by possibly one of the most enthusiastic and talented casts I have seen for a while. And all executed at a lightning pace.

The premise for the plot is clever. It’s a “what if” variation on an old theme. We all know the story of Shakespeare’s Romeo & Juliet, but just what would have happened if Juliet didn’t actually kill herself? And what would have happened if William Shakespeare had collaborated with his wife, Anne Hathaway? And – spoiler alert/clue – what if Romeo had taken a sleeping potion instead of poison? This gives the latitude for much creative thinking, and the result is quite delightful.

The performance begins with the cast appearing on stage before a traditional curtain-up, acting almost as if they are the warm-up crew for a TV audience. William Shakespeare (Sam Stewart) makes an impressive entrance from above as the cast introduce him as he welcomes us to his new play, Romeo & Juliet.

His wife, Anne Hathaway (Judy Higgins-Olsen) is visiting from Stratford-upon-Avon, and she suggests changing the ending, and so the pair break the fourth wall and talk directly to the audience about how they are going to develop this new plot of Romeo & Juliet.

Stewart once more proves what an extraordinary stage presence and multi-talented performer he is with a relaxed and accessible performance, matched every step of the way by Higgins-Olsen. The pair provide a strong central pivot to the play.

First of all, there’s Juliet, played by an unlikely Amaya Lejaragga. This is no shrinking violet or woosy Juliet. Here’s a Juliet who knows her own mind. Lejaragga clearly relished the challenging role, and makes a solid physical statement on stage.  There were a few wayward notes on opening night, but it was ultimately a strong performance, most particularly with her rendition of Roar at the end of the second act.

I have always considered Romeo to be something of a “wet”, but - hilariously - Juliet discovers that she was not ”the only one”, and that Romeo was a romancer of some renown – with both men and women!  Ben Henderson has some considerable fun with a slightly adenoidal approach to the character. In fact, he had one of the best lines in the show, “All I’ve ever been is a sexy young man with a tight body and a lot of feelings. “

Simply chewing up the set in just about every scene, Kieri Darrigan as Angelique (otherwise known as The Nurse) was a sheer delight. Not only does she display an impressive set of vocal chords, but she embodies the character with a delicious sense of fun. Her duet with Lance (Luke Reynolds wittily sending up his customary stage persona) with the Britney Spears song Oops! I Did It Again was a highlight of the first act.

This contemporary take of the Bard’s plot mixes up gender in different ways with two good performances from Declan Keyes-West, sensitive as the non-binary May and Mitchell Pearce (displaying considerable and impressive vocal range) as Frankie, who inadvertently falls in love with May.

It was the 18-strong ensemble who added a significant and substantial backbone to the production with impressive vocals and performance of the energetic high-spirited contemporary choreography.

Sandra Neal’s directorial take on & Juliet is an affectionate and cheerful send-up of Shakespeare. Her creation of this pseudo-Elizabethan-x-contemporary world was carried through with the stylish cross-period costuming, and true to her love and knowledge of the classics, amusingly highlighted all the references to the Bard that the script offered. Even the admonishment at the beginning of phone and camera use is handled with deft humour, and there are many delightful small touches which add to the overall delight.

Special mention must be made of the excellent vocal direction by Claire Davies, the sharp, disciplined choreography by Melissa Land and the faultless nine-piece band under the musical direction of Rianta Belford.

In summary, & Juliet has all the ingredients for a fun musical theatre experience that entertains from start to finish, assisted in no small way by a visionary director and an animated and engaging cast.

Trevor Keeling

Photographer: Sonia Warrell