& Juliet at Birmingham Hippodrome Review
DISCLOSURE – TICKETS TO SEE THE SHOW WERE GIFTED TO THE REVIEWER AND GUEST FOR THE PURPOSES OF WRITING THE REVIEW
Reviewed by Sheridan Brown
I love musical theatre. So I was really excited to have the opportunity to be at the first performance of & Juliet at the Birmingham Hippodrome. The show, created by Emmy-award winning Schitt’s Creek writer, David West Read, ‘flips the script’ on Shakespeare’s famous Romeo and Juliet story – asking the question – what would happen if Juliet doesn’t die?
After rave reviews from the West End and Broadway, and having recently bagged a string of awards, the show explodes onto the Birmingham Hippodrome stage, this April and May with humour, energy and joy.
The show gives us a multi-layered glimpse at what would happen if the famous tragedy’s ending was not one of grief and death – but one in which Juliet has the opportunity to find a new future for herself. Shakespeare (Jay McGuiness) has just completed his famous tragedy and it’s just about to be performed – but his long-suffering wife Anne Hathaway (Lara Denning) challenges him to rewrite the ending. Their relationship takes centre stage in a tit-for-tat thrashing out of each plot twist in the new play – conceived, written and played out in real time to us, the audience.
Really, however, the show is all about the music. With a jukebox crammed full of nineties and noughties hits all written by Max Martin, the show was bound to speak right into the heart of millennials – offering up a joyful and singalong soundtrack from their youth.
We travelled to Birmingham by car and prebooked a parking spot. As always, Birmingham Hippodrome gave us a very warm welcome. Front of house staff can always be relied upon to be friendly and helpful, always ensuring we knew where we were going and had what we needed. Special shout out to the cleaning staff – but more on that later!
As we took our seats, we enjoyed the buzz of excitement as other theatregoers did the same. It was a lovely diverse mix of folks – all of us out for a great night. The auditorium was very busy and it felt like a full house. The beauty and grandeur of the theatre was highlighted by bright projections onto the mouldings and balconies. Gradually, the cast made their way onto the stage, breaking the fourth wall and waving to and interacting with the audience – this blurring of the boundary between performers and audience continued throughout the show. And then the music started. From that point the show gave us series of spectacular bangers which drove the story forward.
With a total of 29 tracks crammed into the show, you might think there is no room for a plot. You’d be wrong. Unlike some jukebox productions the music feels well placed and relevant. Iconic hits from Britney Spears, Back Street Boys, Avril Lavine and Katy Perry are seamlessly woven into the action. Max Martin and Tony-Award winning Bill Sherman shape all the tracks to enhance the storyline. Whilst keeping the tracks familiar, new and edgy arrangements coupled with fabulous orchestration added a new dimension to the sound track. I was astonished to find that the music was played live. Musical Director, Marcus Carter-Adams and his band should be thoroughly applauded for creating SUCH a powerful soundscape. Only seven musicians strong, the sound was phenomenal! For me it was ‘all about the bass’ – it was so loud it reverberated up through the floor and through our seats. I loved it – but at one point my daughter felt like she wanted to put her fingers in her ears. It was certainly arresting and created an amazing atmosphere.
The quality of acting, singing and dancing from the cast was truly excellent. Juliet, played by Gerardine Sacdalan made us go all goose-bumpy from the moment she opened her mouth. Her range was amazing, and she was able to capture both the power and ‘roar’ of a big anthemic number, along with the emotion and tenderness of a more introspective piece. Our Romeo, for tonight was Ben Jackson-Walker, the original Romeo from the Broadway production. What star quality he had! We couldn’t take his eyes of him – even if he admitted he was a ‘douche’ in the end! The storyline of May (Jordan Broatch) and the awkward Francois (Kyle Cox) was beautiful and sensitive. This was juxtaposed with the comedic re-lighting of passion between Juliet’s nurse, Angelique – played by the fantastic Sandra Marvin (what a voice!) and Francois’ father Lance – TVs Ranj Singh. In truth, I found Lance to be a little too ‘pantomime’ – but he certainly was funny and sang better than I had expected. The rest of the cast were all superb and added a wonderful vibrancy to the show.
As you’d expect with a show of this calibre, the choreography was spectacular; tight, precise and full of dramatic energy. Jennifer Weber, the choreographer, has created a fierce urban feel to the dance numbers and this was enhanced by a brilliantly diverse, body-confident ensemble cast.
The costumes were amazing. Designed by Paloma Young, they were a curious mix of Elizabethan and modern. Trainers and gym pants were combined with corsets and ruffs and beautiful doublets paired up with faded blue jeans. The production was not meant to be set in Elizabethan times, or even the 2020s, and the costume choices echoed this timelessness. I loved the carefully chosen palette for the costumes, which was beautifully enhanced by the lighting (designed by Howard Hudson) and especially impactful during group dance numbers.
Soutra Gilmour’s innovative set design was spectacular. Made up of part real scenery (which was moved around adeptly by cast members) and part video projection from designer and animator Andrzej Goulding, the set enhanced and accentuated the performance brilliantly. Fabulous lighting added to the visually stunning impact of the show.
The show was much more multi-layered than I had expected. Yes, it was a pop-party from beginning to end. But as well as this, the show was uplifting and joyous – with a message of love, acceptance and inclusivity. I found this incredibly pertinent with what’s happening on both sides of the pond at the moment.
All in all – we both had a cracking time. As the gold confetti rained down on us during Juliet’s rendition of Roar, who could resist breaking out into a great big smile. We can’t imagine how much cleaning up this would take between performance!!
As the show came to a close the crowd rose to give a fulsome and loud standing ovation. I thought it was truly worth the accolade Brilliant!
Rating: 5/5
Dates: 22nd April – 3rd May 2025
Tickets: £25 – £80 (depending on date)
Remaining shows are bookable here: www.birminghamhippodrome.com