Paul T Davies reviews & Juliet, a reimagining of Romeo and Juliet featuring the music of Max Martin now playing at the Shaftesbury Theatre.
& Juliet
Shaftesbury Theatre
12/2/2022
5 Stars
Book Tickets
It’s never too late to join a really great party, and this is a roof-raising superb night out! “I’m through with Romeo and Juliet”, is something I have said many times, having acted in it and seen numerous productions. But a new interpretation always draws me back, and here David West Read’s irreverent and inspired book tears up the script, and reimagines what would happen had Juliet not killed herself, but moved on with her life. Fused with the music and lyrics by Max Martin and friends, what we get is a thumping, high energy modern classic, and, due to the popularity of Martin’s songs, (only Lennon and McCartney have had more US number one hits than him), I knew more of the musical numbers than I thought I did!
Set on the “opening night” of Romeo and Juliet, Anne Hathaway has a night off from bringing up her husband’s, (Shakespeare’s), children, and is shocked at his synopsis for the new play, it’s a real downer. Accepting the challenge to rewrite the play, she exerts her influence, and whoever has the quill writes the unfolding actions. It becomes, if you like, a quill-off, with many a twist, gender fluidity, (true to the Elizabethan stage), and conflict as characters are abandoned by their authors. The company take the material and have a ball at various balls. Miriam Teak Lee is an outstanding Juliet, taking us on her journey from almost suicide statistic to strong independent woman with soaring vocals, and you will hear her Roar! The absolute star is Cassidy Janson who makes the part of Anne her own, with superb comic timing and poignancy in equal measure. Oliver Tompsett is mischievous Shakespeare, and Melanie La Barrie’s Nurse is a show-stealer, especially in her scenes with old flame Lance, performed with exquisite French style by the ever-excellent David Bedella. But it’s with the character of May that the show really finds its contemporary take, a role which at first feels a bit like tokenism, but then grows, in the skilfulness of Arun Blair Mangat’s feisty and tender performance, to be a fully rounded portrayal of queer love with Tim Mahendran’s shy and blossoming Francois.
It’s thanks to the style set up by Mama Mia over twenty years ago that the introduction to each song segues perfectly into the number, (Oops I Did It again!), and there is joy among the audience as they recognise the banger woven into the effective storyline. Boy Bands make a highlight, as does the numbers It’s My Life, Stronger, I kissed a Girl… well, basically every number! Because you invest in the characters so much, this is much more than a jukebox musical, and, dare I say it, along with Six, it makes some of the long-running musicals look a little dated.
