š & Juliet
š The Lyric, Theatre Royal Plymouth, Royal Parade, Plymouth, Devon, PL1 2TR
š Monday 30th September 2024
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A LARGER THAN LIFE PRODUCTION
Max Martin is a record-breaking music producer and songwriter who is responsible for some of the world's biggest hits of the last 30 years and in the worldwide phenomenon & JULIET, playing this week at Theatre Royal Plymouth, his songs are performed with the sort of superstar energy you'd expect from a major pop concert.
Featuring such hits as ...Baby One More Time, Roar, It's My Life and Since U Been Gone, & JULIET follows William Shakespeare and his wife Anne Hathaway (and there'll never be another Anne Hathaway!) as they rewrite the ending of his play Romeo & Juliet, exploring what would happen to Juliet if she didn't kill herself as Romeo had.
The story within a story aspect of the show works incredibly well as does the fusion of the Shakespearian era with modern day pop. The book by David Read West is engaging and extremely well thought out. The story is strong and cleverly weaves the songs into the show. At no point do you ever feel like a song has been shoehorned in just for the sake of it.
Often with these type of musicals the story can be lacking and very loose, but the tightness of the script here is undeniable and is a brilliant piece of craftsmanship.
The entire creative team behind this sensational production have gone all out with Jennifer Weber's insane choreography and Luke Sheppard's direction marrying wonderfully with video design by Andrzej Goulding and the best lighting design I've seen in a long time from Howard Hudson.
What completes this truly epic production is the outstanding cast who just blew me away. Gerardine Sacdalan is absolute perfection as Juliet, it's as if the role had been written just for her. She has pitch perfect vocals which have an unbelievable power, and she completely embodied everything about the character.
This show is filled with powerful female characters and Sandra Marvin gives a commanding and humorous yet completely lovable portrayal of AngeliquƩ while Harriet Caplan-Dean gave her all as Anne. You could have heard a pin drop as her glorious vocals filled the auditorium during the conclusion of That's The Way It Is.
The illustrious performances keep coming and after seeing him in productions in the West End I was thrilled to see Kyle Cox feature as FranƧois. Cox is a versitile performer and here we get to hear his fantastic vocals alongside his astounding acting abilities. He really shows the vulnerability of his character as well as having perfect comic timing and showing love with utter tenderness.
& JULIET is as funny as it is heartwarming and breathtaking and Matt Cardle as Shakespeare really engages the audience and lets them in on his jokes incredibly while Ranj Singh owns the caricature of Lance, almost making fun of himself in a wonderfully tender way.
Another thing I love about this show is not only the diversity, but how it represents that diversity without fear and prejudice. The character of May is non binary and finds no negativity towards them. Portrayed with passion and realism by Jordan Broatch, their performance of I'm Not A Girl, Not Yet A Woman is emotional, touching and breathtaking.
Shakespeare himself is known for pushing the gender boundaries in his works, and this somehow elevates the significance of the character of May in this production. The most endearing part of the evening was the audience's reaction to the relationship between May and FranƧois which was an uplifting moment in itself.
The cast is completed by an amazing ensemble who execute the choreography with sublime precision and are bursting with energy. It felt like wherever you looked on the stage there was a story happening which was fantastic. They were each fantastic but I was really drawn to watching Liam Morris and Katie Ramshaw, who were both electrifying.
It's such an honour to witness this remarkable company perform. I implore you not to miss this visually spectacular production. & JULIET is playing until Saturday on The Lyric stage at Theatre Royal Plymouth. Click here to grab the last remaining tickets.
I don't care who you are, where you're from, what you did, as long as you book to see this incredible show! I've already booked a return visit!
Neill Kovacic-Clarke
All views are my own and I pride myself on being honest, fair and free from influence. Theatre is subjective and it is important to remember that all views expressed are just those of one reviewer.
My ticket for this performance of & Juliet was gifted by the Theatre Royal Plymouth who invited me to watch the show in exchange for my honest review. The fact that my ticket was gifted played no part in the content of my review or the star rating given.
CAST AT THIS PERFORMANCE:
Gerardine Sacdalan as Juliet; Matt Cardle as Shakespeare; Harriet Caplan-Dean as Anne; Sandra Marvin as AngeliquƩ; Jordan Broatch as May; Kyle Cox as FranƧois; Ranj Singh as Lance; Jack Danson as Romeo; Alexander Kranz as Lennox; AndilƩ Mabhena as Augustine; Liam Morris as Richard; Psalms-Nissi Myers-Reid as Lucy; Michael Nelson as Henry; Toni Paise as Eleanor; Katie Ramshaw as Nell / Lady C; Aaron Shales as Gregory; Rosie Singha as Judith; Nia Stephen as Imogen
RUNNING TIME (approx):
2 hours 30 minutes, including interval
CONTENT WARNINGS:
Occasional mild language
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