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& Juliet


 


When: 11th December 2021 (Matinee)

Where: Shaftesbury Theatre, London

Writer: David West Read and Max Martin

Director: Luke Sheppard


We were very lucky to get tickets to & Juliet, that morning we managed to get hold of 2 Rush tickets for the matinee performance, after practically giving up, plus we were on the 5th row of the stalls! 

I've wanted to see this show for a while and after seeing lots of plays this year, that were not particularly happy, I really wanted to see something that would be a bit of fun. It definitely succeeded in that. This show is full of comedy, fun and joy, whilst weaving in some gentle topics of importance in society today. They have managed to bring shakespeare into the 21st century and keep the same audience reaction as he would have recieved back when Romeo and Juliet was first written. I am a big Mamma Mia fan and conroversially I love Jukebox musicals. The music in & Juliet was so perfectly selected, it felt very coherent with the story and flowed really well. One of my favourite things about the show is how they wove in so many jokes relating to Shakespeare himself, one joke in particular that stuck in my head was when Anne asked him why he never writes about happy marriages, he responded saying that he was writing a play about a married couple that got on well, called Macbeth!

I really enjoyed & Juliet and would definietly recommend it to anyone looking for a fun time out. In my opinion it had a few challenges from the technical aspects of the show, not including the falling set piece at the opening of Act 2 that meant we got to watch the first minute of the second half twice. For me there were too many set changes, every time the scene changed they would bring on massive pieces of set. Although they did add to the atmosphere of the performance, they were often not used enough to make the decision feel like a viable option, it wasn't necessary. Saying this I did like the use of the rotating platform, but these scenes didnt use any other set, or if they did it was minor, and it felt so much cleaner. Another of my favourite scenes was when Romeo and Juliet were on the flying bench, it was a much slower and simpler scene to most of the others and it created a nice dynamic. 

I also want to add that the acting in the show was incredible, the actors embodied their characters so well. Miriam Teak-Lee was amazing as Juliet, she portrayed the emotional trauma that Juliet holds onto, but manages to keep the show light and free. Even though they raise the age of Juliet in the show, she still held onto that whimsical childlike persona that a teenager would have, whilst acting mature and recoginsing the situation. Jordan Luke Gage played Romeo really well, I loved the way they exentuated the douche and selfish character that Romeo so clearly presents but is never properly explored in the original. I thought the characters of April and May, were perfectly executed and they all added together to create a really fun ensemble of characters.

Personally I don't think its a masterpiece, its not that original, the story included a lot of classic tropes and it was guessable, there were also moments that felt a little underdevloped or rushed. But I wasn't looking for a new imaginative piece of theatre, I was looking to have a nice time and that it was this show does amazingly. I think this is accessible to so many different people and different people will find different parts that appeal to them. I would happily go and see & Juliet again, I had a really great time, and it reminded me how much theatre can vary.



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