& Juliet is a jukebox musical featuring the pop music of songwriter Max Martin, and book by David West Read. It features an array of well-known pop songs, in addition to one song written specifically for the musical.
& Juliet is a story for anyone who has read William Shakespeare’s classic Romeo and Juliet and thought to themselves, “What a stupid ending! Why would Juliet just kill herself?” For those who have come to the same conclusion, this musical is a breath of fresh air.
The story opens in a bare theatre, as the cast of Romeo and Juliet are rehearsing ahead of the opening night of William Shakespeare’s latest work. William Shakespeare has finally written the ending to this tale, however, his wife, Anne Hathaway, doesn’t like the ending and asks the same question we all asked ourselves when studying this book in high school: Why would Juliet just kill herself? Instead, Anne Hathaway writes a new ending, allowing young Juliet to not just live, but to take control of her own destiny. Meanwhile, William Shakespeare continues to write his own plot twists and turns. Through this process, Anne Hathaway begins to question her own relationship with her very famous husband, and ponder why not a single one of his stories portrays marriage in a positive way. As she seeks to write a happy ending for Juliet, Anne Hathaway is searching for her own happy ending.
& Juliet premiered in Manchester in 2019 before transferring to London’s West End just two months later. It made its Broadway debut in 2022, earning nine Tony Award nominations, and then premiered in Australia in 2023. Now, it’s community theatre that has the opportunity to bring this show to the stage, with the memories of that professional Australian production still fresh in our minds. It’s a demanding show, with big voices needed to handle those massive pop songs, and CLOC has delivered with an outstanding production.
Under the direction of Karl McNamara, this is a high energy and joyful production. McNamara has captured the campness, the humour, the heart and the tenderness, ensuring the audience is taken on a journey that is way beyond just being entertained. Musical director Dan Heskett and a nine piece orchestra expertly bring these well-loved pop songs to life, and very deservedly take their bows in the curtain call. While there are plenty of belting moments throughout the show, there is also beautiful restraint in moments that capture the heart of the story and transform this show from being more than just a pop concert of Max Martin songs into a truly engaging story.
These huge pop songs require a vibrant and energetic choreography to match, and Felicity Bender’s fabulous choreography is stunning in its design and executed by the cast with precision and flare.
Take your seats early, the cast are onstage “warming up for their rehearsal of Romeo and Juliet” as soon as the doors open. It allows the audience to appreciate the stunning costume design by Victoria Horne. Costumes are an Elizabethean-Pop-Chique style, establishing the era in which William Shakespeare published his works, but giving the musical a very contemporary and relevant feel. I lost count of the costume changes through the show, but every single costume piece was stunning. David Clausen-Wisken’s hair and makeup design is exquisite and perfectly complements the high quality costume design.
Despite opening on a relatively bare stage, this production has an extravagant set design by Mike Fletcher. Set pieces move on and off the stage, transforming the scenes with no disruption to the story being told. It’s an ambitious set and every part of the stage is utilised well. There were times I was so engrossed in the performances, I didn’t even notice the set being moved on other parts of the stage. Victoria Horne’s costume design extends to the stage crew, who were dressed to blend in with the ensemble cast. I don’t know how many of the twenty stage crew listed in the programme are on duty for each performance, but they’re a hard working team, under the leadership of Stage Manager Gemma Hedger.
Ultimately, it comes down to the cast, and CLOC have assembled an incredible cast of performers, many of whom were making their CLOC debut.
Guada Banez is captivating in the role of Juliet, with powerhouse vocals and genuine warmth. Sam Anderson is mischievously charming as William Shakespeare. Sharon Willis delivers a confident and heartwarming portrayal of Anne. Shaun Kingma is delightful as Lance, while Sarahlouise Younger is hilarious as Angelique. Mak Russell Gill gives a beautiful performance as May. Tim Maguire is wonderful as Romeo and Will Woods brings a touching sensitivity to his portrayal of Francois.
This exceptionally talented lead cast are supported by an equally impressive ensemble cast. As featured ensemble, Melanie Ott and Sujanthan Satkunarajah bring a a hilariously camp portrayal to their roles as Lady and Lord Capulet.
Fans of & Juliet, who still have fond memories of the recent professional production will not be disappointed with this latest version by CLOC. For anyone who missed the professional season in 2023, this is the one to see. Yet again, CLOC have raised the bar for community theatre, delivering an exceptionally high quality production.
& Juliet is now playing at the National Theatre in St Kilda.
For more information and tickets: https://www.cloc.org.au/
