What do you get when you cross a Shakespearean tragedy full of death and deceit with confetti canons and Britney Spears?
Anyone even slightly familiar with theatre as a whole will be well aware that Shakespeare has always been a little bit extra. I’d never have thought that the classic star-crossed story of Romeo & Juliet could be any more dramatic - but I’ll happily admit when I’ve been proven wrong. &;Juliet takes this tragic tale of teenage loves and turns it around completely, creating an all singing, all dancing (quite literally) tale of empowerment, self-belief and life after love that just might be as timeless as the classic itself. As a jukebox musical it’s guaranteed to have at least a few hits you won’t be able to stop yourself from singing along to, even if they are a little different – you wouldn’t expect ‘Hit Me Baby One More Time’ to work as a ballad, but it just does. &; Juliet really does have it all; it’s fun, it’s silly and it’s full of an infectious energy that you just can’t help fall in love with.
Directed by Luke Sheppherd and written by Emmy award winner David West Read, & Juliet follows on from the original we all know so well with just one simple question – what if Juliet didn’t kill herself? What if she instead realised her worth, owned her confidence and stopped living to please others; what if she fell in love with herself? (As opposed to a boy she’d known for 4 days…it’s a bit of a no brainer, really). The show follows Juliet as she casts off the oppressive shackles of her family’s expectations and leaves for Paris, accompanied by her best friends, her nurse, and her thirst for something new. But when she finds herself back in a familiar situation – with a familiar lover – can she make the right choice and put herself first?
The first thing you can’t help but notice as you enter the theatre is the sheer scale of the staging; I audibly gasped. Set designer Soutra Gilmour and lighting designer Howard Hudson have gone all out for this production – the attention to detail is absolutely exquisite. From huge twinkling quills to the classic bard’s balcony laden with illuminated lettering, the whole stage is aglow and filled with bursts of colour; no matter where you look, you still won’t feel like you’ve seen everything. The show is filled with spectacle, with hanging chandeliers, moons, beautiful projections, an entire nightclub…they’ve spared no expense and if imagination was the only limit, then they’ve got it in bucket loads. The costumes are stunning too, with designer Paloma Young seamlessly blending ruffles and renaissance with glitz and glamour to create costumes that somehow manage to look modern, but still Shakespearean.
The cast were absolutely phenomenal – it’s not often you come across a show where there are no weak links to speak of but this is one of them. The level of talent on stage in this production is next level. Leading the story as Juliet is the incredible Gerardine Sacdalan, whose breathtaking vocals truly are once in a generation. She is note perfect throughout, never missing a beat even when keeping up with Jennifer Weber’s high energy, full cast choreography. Sacdalan is a joy to watch, perfectly portraying teen angst with a side of sass. She’s perfectly cast alongside the hilarious Lara Denning as Anne and Sandra Marvin as Angelique; both of whom added great comic relief but absolutely wowed with their vocals. Liam Morris was our Romeo for the evening, swaggering into the role with well-deserved confidence. Jay McGuiness made a loveable rogue out of Shakespeare, even if he was utterly groanworthy at times – but it’s all part of the fun! And perhaps the most surprising of all was Ranj Singh, who despite being known for his appearances as a television doctor fit right into this professional cast with ease, showcasing his comedic side and capturing the audiences’ hearts. It was so clear to see here that the cast were really enjoying what they were doing, and there was a beautiful chemistry between everyone on stage which worked so well with this being an ensemble production. Particularly of note was the blossoming relationship between May (Jordan Broatch) and Francois (Kyle Cox) which was so palpable that it genuinely made my inner teenager reach out from the past and physically cringe, so perfectly did they capture the stunning awkwardness of first love.
This production is one of those incredibly rare productions where I spent so long trying to come up with a negative to discuss but came up empty handed. It’s so full of feel-good charm that you can’t help but spend the whole evening grinning ear to ear, and I’d recommend it to absolutely anyone – so grab your tickets while you can! You can catch the show at the Bradford Alhambra until 29th March or find it across the UK for the second half of the tour up until the end of June.
Reviewer: Hazel Goodlad
on - 24th March 2025
No comments:
Post a Comment