Red Bus Londinium Life

With three Olivier Awards and six WhatsOnStage Awards it is only right that &Juliet has another outing for the sake of both new and faithful audiences . The New Wimbledon Theatre is currently hosting the London leg of a touring version which loses none of what made the West End version such an energetic, camp, funny and uplifting delight.

Originating in 2019, &Juliet is a duke box musical featuring the songs of Max Martin. (You might ask, “Who?” when you hear the name Max Martin, but you certainly will not ask that question of the many singers he has written for: Katy Perry, Britney Spears, Taylor Swift, Backstreet Boys and more). Max Martin’s extensive and varied back catalogue provides a wealth of variety to choose from in formulating this musical.

Similarly to Mamma Mia, the songs are used to support an entirely different plot. Here we explore an alternative ending to Shakespeare’s ending in Romeo and Juliet. Jay McGuiness and Lara Denning portray Shakespeare and his wife battling for control of the play’s final scenes. This is our first real taster of how Max Martin’s songs are used, with the words, “I want it that way” (more commonly associated with the Backstreet Boys) now used to argue for their alternative script decisions. McGuiness and Denning are both strong singers with great comic timing. Denning’s That’s the way it is, bringing the most prolonged applause of the night.

Juliet is played by industry newcomer, Gerardine Sacdalan, who is triumphant in this role and who brings passion, pizzazz and pluck. Alongside a powerful voice, Sacdalan’s dancing and acting are accomplished and she brings many nuances to her delivery with a changed inflection, a nudge or a wink. We are rooting for her all the way and hers will be a career to watch.

With strong casting throughout, another pleasure is the relationship between Juliet’s nurse Angelique (Sandra Marvin) and French beau François’s father Lance (Ranj Singh). Marvin is an experienced musical stalwart who both flirts and nurses with comic timing, musicality and aplomb. Singh is her undoubted match – in talent and in love – so it feels impossible to believe that this is his musical theatre debut. Though his experience in TV, dancing, medicine and more should perhaps prepare audiences for nothing being too much for him.

Jennifer Weber’s choreography enhances the strength of each scene: the ensemble performing her Hip Hop with intensity. The set design by Soutra Gilmour is flexible and clever and allows a strong sense of many locations as well as providing a springboard for many hair-raising and dynamic leaps and entrances.

This is an almost unceasingly fun show and there are many moments of pure comedy (Liam Morris’ Romeo descending from the heavens is one) but there are also moments of real poignancy, such as the blossoming relationship and identity discovery of May and François . The querying of both Juliet and Anne Hathaway’s roles is presented humorously but is also a serious reminder that throughout history women have always had fewer choices. It is these layers and depth that are the strength of this show and elevate it from being just a saccharine rainbow of entertainment into the splendid girl-powered delight that it is.

[Thank you to New Wimbledon theatre for the gifted tickets for an honest review].