& Juliet defies explanation. How else could a show fit almost thirty upbeat pop songs, flying performers, a boy band, confetti drops, rockstar entrances, a concentric revolve and rising platforms, and so much more, into two and half hours of pure joy, without ever feeling like too much?
A collaboration between songwriter Max Martin and writer David West Read, & Juliet opens with the players of William Shakespeare’s ensemble preparing for the opening of his newest play, Romeo and Juliet, except they haven’t heard the ending yet. As an exuberant Shakespeare tells the cast and his wife, Anne Hathaway, of the woe that is about to play out onstage, an impassioned Anne challenges her husband to wonder what would happen if Juliet didn’t die? And with that, we’ve been given the premise for the show.
Except that story is then told through some of the biggest songs from the 90s and 00s, all from Martin’s catalogue of hits — everything from ‘I Want it That Way’ to ‘Since You’ve Been Gone’ to ‘Roar’ and beyond. Jukebox musicals often feel like they are doomed to be cursed by their own nature. The songs are so well-known that hearing them pulls you out of the show’s flow, or it feels like they have been forced into a storyline where they don’t quite fit.
& Juliet escapes all of this. It feels like Martin wrote these songs for the story being told on stage, not for some of the world’s biggest popstars. Far exceeding the heights of other jukebox musicals, some of my favourite moments of audience reaction were the giggles that escaped theatregoers as they realised that they knew the song being sung. The songs are transformed by the incredibly talented cast from the versions you might have heard on the radio, as each lyric actually tells the story.
From the moment you enter the theatre, you are immersed in the world of & Juliet, with a friendly diverse ensemble, known as the players, moving around the stage and interacting with the audience. The set (designed by Sutra Gilmour) is made up of dark brick walls with vibrant colourful details and large projections above (designed by Andrzej Goulding), often featuring streets and maps of the locations travelled to in the show, extending out of the proscenium.
Puff sleeves and floral motifs adorn everything from corsets to denim jackets and short skirts. Paloma Young’s costume design creates a blend of Elizabethan attire mixed with bright modern styles and colour palettes full of vibrant pinks and purples, deep blues and greens, and touches of gold and yellows. Young has created a historical fantasy fit for a girls trip, a ball and a wedding, and everything in between.
Since the audience is already positioned to be the audience of Shakespeare’s production, there is little struggle with suspension of disbelief as we are taken on a wild ride from Verona to Paris, with periodic breaks for the Shakespeares to grapple with what elements of the story should be changed. With Anne and Will fighting over their quill, and the creative direction of the story, any plot point can be written in, until, well, it can’t.
During the performance I attended, the lovable and determined Anne and boisterous and stubborn Will were played by covers Romy Vukusan and James Elmer, who brought their own humour and energy to excel in the roles normally played by Amy Lehpamer and Rob Mills. Having been lucky enough to catch the show during its Melbourne run last year (and still being obsessed with Amy Lehpamer’s captivating version of ‘That’s The Way It Is’ as a result), I can assure you that no matter who you see in those baby yellow Docs, you are in for a treat.
Imani Williams skilfully balanced the emotional sensitivity of Juliet with an entertaining levity, a role normally played by Lorinda May Merrypor. Blake Appelqvist is glorious as the baffling thembo Romeo. Jesse Dutlow shines as the confident May, alongside Yashith Fernando as the often unsure Francois. Casey Donovan and Hayden Tee bring the captivating couple Angelique and Lance to life, keeping the audience giggling and applauding in equal measure.
& Juliet is a love letter to the joy of being too much. It is a love letter to disappointing everyone else to not disappoint yourself. It is a love letter to taking control of your life, and having fun while doing it. It is packed with heart, wrapped up in a package of pop hits and tied together with the bow of an incredibly talented cast. It is pure joy.
And I want to go back again, and again, and again.
& Juliet is currently performing at the Lyric Theatre until June.
