Review: &Juliet at Sunderland Empire
Review: &Juliet at Sunderland Empire
Last Saturday morning, I surprised myself by sidestepping a usual request for Alexa to whack on BBC 6 Music at volume 6 (what else?) while I cleared the fridge for my weekly batch cooking sesh.
Instead, I inexplicably asked for N’Sync’s Bye Bye Bye at level 8, thus triggering an algorithm chain reaction which saw me (and presumably our neighbours) dancing and singing my way through a couple of nostalgic hours featuring any number of pop-soaked treats from the past couple of decades courtesy of the BackStreet Boys, Britney Spears, Christina Aguilera, P!nk, Katy Perry and others of their irresistible ilk.
I don’t think I ever had any of their albums in my CD tower, but still managed to belt out every lyric. I was knackered by lunchtime.
Now I’m not normally one for thinking the universe is sending me messages or subliminal signposts, but a few days later as we flicked through our programme for &Juliet and stumbled on the hit musical’s setlist, I reckon my Saturday kitchen sing-a-long had upwards of an 80% match… maybe Alexa was preparing me all along.
I’m blaming a particularly hectic summer for my lack of preparation ahead of seeing this script-flipping show at the Sunderland Empire, which dramatically reimagines the ending of Romeo & Juliet via the back catalogue of Swedish pop songwriting and producing sensation, Max Martin.
While I knew my teenage niece had seen and loved it (and I had picked up the basic premise of the plot), the pop anthem jukebox bit had completely passed me by.
Larger Than Life, I Want It That Way, Baby One More Time, Stronger, I Kissed A Girl, Shape of My Heart, Roar, That’s The Way It Is, As Long As You Love Me… I mean I haven’t even scratched the surface.
It’s like a killer-filled Now That’s What I Call Music for millennials (and those who slightly missed the boat), with Tudor sprinkles.
Exciting times.
Created by Schitt’s Creek writer, David West Read, &Juliet is a whole heap of fun - kind of a pop-filled panto featuring girl power messaging, oodles of witty wordplay and kick ass choreography, delivered by an ensemble cast to match.
The plot sees William Shakespeare (likeable former X Factor winner and West End star, Matt Cardle) putting the finishing touches to his tragic love story ahead of opening night.
His frustrated wife, (the OG Anne Hathaway played in scene-stealing fashion by Lara Denning) has other ideas and persuades him to let Juliet (gutsy pop princess, Gerardine Sacdalan) survive her heartbreak before setting off on a destiny-searching (and nunnery-avoiding) 600-mile trip to Paris with her nurse, Angelique (Sandra Marvin boasting comedy chops and impressive pipes in equal measure here) and best pal May (Jordan Broatch) who is also searching for their place in the world.
In Paris they meet convenient new suitor Francois Du Bois (aka Frankie da Boy played by Kyle Cox) who needs a wife to avoid the army and his pushy dad Lance (telly doctor, Ranj Singh is clearing having a blast) who once had a love affair with Angelique. Keep up.
Meanwhile Anne and the Bard also write themselves into the action - each determined to further their own plot plans… and then there’s Romeo.
&Juliet really is a blast. Silly but clever and heartwarming at the same time - by the end, we’re rooting for multiple happy romantic endings - it belts along and thoroughly deserved the standing (dancing) ovation it received as Juliet took her last curtain Roar.
The show is playing Sunderland Empire until September 21. For tickets, visit the website.