Leeds Grand Theatre – until 30th November 2024
Reviewed by Alexandra Sykes
4****
“What if Juliet didn’t kill herself?” is not an A Level English question but a question asked by Anne Hathaway at the start of the show after discovering Shakespeare has finally written an ending to his new play. Well, if Juliet had lived you get & Juliet, the jukebox musical featuring songs written by Max Martin which has finally embarked on a national tour following a sold out run in the West End.
Starting at the end of Romeo and Juliet, Anne Hathaway (Lara Denning) asks Shakespeare (Matt Cardle) why Juliet has to die, just because Romeo does. This leads to Anne taking over and rewriting the ending of the play, even giving herself a role in the play. Things seems to be going well for Juliet until Shakespeare brings Romeo (Jack Danson) back from the dead. This does not go down well with Anne and leads to an argument between her and her husband until they have a heart to heart and Anne, and Juliet, get the ending they want.
Gerardine Sacdalan is amazing as Juliet, being both confused by her feelings for Romeo and her sense for adventure. Joining Sacdalan is Jordan Broatch as May, Juliet’s best friend, and Sandra Marvin as her nurse. Whilst on her adventures Juliet meets Francois, Kyle Cox, whom she nearly marries, and Lance (Dr Ranj Singh), the strict father of Francois.
The cast work well together and the relationship between Cardle and Denning is absolutely amazing, they need more stage time together. The mix of modern and Shakespearean English works well with several famous Shakespeare quotes thrown in for good measure. Shakespeare even tells the audience which phrases he gave to the English language.
With female empowerment a key theme throughout, this is a musical not to be missed. You will laugh, you will cry, you will sing. Grab a ticket while you can because this show is going to sell out fast and you do not want to miss it.