![](https://www.sardinesmagazine.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/Cassidy-Janson-Anne-Hathaway-Miriam-Teak-Lee-Juliet-Keala-Settle-Nurse-Juliet-by-Johan-Persson-scaled.jpg)
Show: & Juliet
Society: London (professional shows)
Venue: Shaftesbury Theatre, 210 Shaftesbury Avenue, London
Credits: Featuring the music of Max Martin. Book by David West Read. Produced by Max Martin, Tim Headington, Theresa Steele, Jenny Petersson and Martin Dodd
Type: Sardines
Performance Date: 07/04/2022
& Juliet
Cassidy Janson (Anne Hathaway) Miriam-Teak Lee (Juliet) Keala Settle (Nurse) & Juliet. Photo: Johan Persson
The hefty refurbishment underway at the Shaftesbury Theatre made finding the way in to this production of & Juliet slightly tricky, but my word, was it worth it! Powerful, funny, unbelievably high-energy and with a thumpingly good score, this Juliet grabs her audience and turns their expectations upside down. She challenges expectations of anything remotely Shakespearean with an almighty “What if?” – what if one (or possibly both) of the world’s most famous young lovers hadn’t actually died at the end of their tragedy? It is a set of stories about possibilities, opportunities, choices and the courage you need to make them. She dares you to be confident, sassy and fun, as well as showing you that being young and in love is confusing, problematic and often really dramatic. Oh, and that Romeo was a douche and parents are complete idiots.
The show opened with house lights up, the actors waving, chatting and singing happy birthday to members of the audience, quickly followed by a very down-to-earth Londoner called Shakespeare setting the scene as he presents his actors with the final pages for the premiere of his newest play about star-crossed lovers……until his long-suffering wife Anne pops up, on her first night out in ages, babysitter sorted, large drink ordered and fingers firmly crossed that she won’t fall asleep before the interval. She pretty much tells him that the ending of his play is pants, and sets about re-writing it (with parts for herself and Will, manifestly no longer in charge) and a host of new possiblities for Juliet. The action skips from London to Verona to Paris and back again, the distance in miles matched only by the journeys the characters take. There are at least four love stories woven through the play, each as complicated and heartfelt as the other, and each a fabulously fitting mash-up of passion, drama. heartache and joy.
The score is drawn from the decades-long catalogue of Max Martin, whose plaudits include the fact that he has written the most number ones in history after some chaps called Lennon and McCartney. This is a very full treasure chest to plunder and the big pop numbers had the audience singing, clapping and stomping along: my own favourite of those was the gloriously cheesy De Bois Band’s version of Everybody. At the same time, and in the play’s spirit of unexpectedness, there were also some beautiful soulful numbers – Alex Thomas-Smith’s I’m Not A Girl, Tim Mahendran’s Whataya Want From Me and Julius D’Silva’s Shape of My Heart made the breath catch in my throat, while Keala Settle’s F**kin’ Perfect made both me and my twelve-year-old daughter cry. Music of this calibre deserves to be matched with storytelling of equal strength, and David West Read’s book cannot be faulted. The plot swooped and soared, there were guffaws and gasps, and the puns and clever little digs at the “real” Shakespeare were worthy of the man himself.
But the heart of the production comes from the cast, and they did the play proud. The energy and the skill from everyone on stage enchanted the whole theatre – no-one wanted it to end. There were elements almost of pantomime – the trip from Verona to Paris being accomplished by way of a revolving stage, a gypsy caravan and handheld signs counting down the miles between the cities – and the very successful comedy pairing of Lance and Angelique as well as the jibes between Anne and Will kept everyone laughing. There were also moments of real reflection about the weight of parental expectations, about the insecurities and struggles for balance within a relationship, and about the very nature of relationships themselves. The actors rose to this challenge with aplomb: in particular, Keala Settle’s Nurse and Cassidy Janson’s April/Anne Hathaway were, quite simply, superb – both characterful and irresistibly funny as comic actors, impeccable vocally, facially and physically. Between them, they have all the best lines and they are a joy to watch. They also have incredibly powerful singing voices – Settle’s I knew from The Greatest Showman, but Janson’s was a joyful surprise – and they shared, I think, the two longest ovations for solo songs.
Miriam Teak-Lee was beautiful as Juliet – grieving and vulnerable, confused, growing in confidence and ultimately kick-ass – and her singing voice was gorgeously emotive and expressive in her more reflective numbers. I couldn’t wait for her to throw back her head and finally let rip with Roar, but somehow that fell a little flat – maybe she doesn’t have the vocal welly of Settle or Janson, but if she does and she’s holding it in, then girl, for Heaven’s sake, bring it!
There were, perhaps, times that the energy became a little hectic – my daughter said that sometimes so much was going on on-stage that she was worried that she was missing things, which is a shame, as so many of the little touches were brilliant. But those are minor niggles in a production that is, ultimately, a triumph. Juliet, you rock!