&Juliet At Theatre Royal Plymouth Review
DISCLOSURE – TICKETS TO SEE THE SHOW WERE GIFTED TO THE REVIEWER AND GUEST FOR THE PURPOSES OF WRITING THE REVIEW
Reviewed by Linda Curtain
Have you ever wondered what would have happened if Juliet hadn’t died at the end of Shakespeare’s classic Romeo and Juliet play? How would she have moved on with her life? Well, this is the basis of this musical – & Juliet – which has arrived in Plymouth this week as part of its national tour and where better to ponder this idea than at the Theatre Royal Plymouth. Renowned for staging a wide variety of entertainment, you are guaranteed an enjoyable evening at this city centre venue. Nearby parking and good public transport links makes visiting the theatre easy and arriving last evening to was lovely to see the foyer so busy with the awaiting audience enjoying drinks and snacks in the coffee shop and bar areas.
Once settled into our seats, we were immediately drawn into the atmosphere of the show with an eye catching opening stage set – where various cast members were seen warming up and interacting with the audience – and a loud, lively musical accompaniment was playing.
The story starts with Shakespeare working to stage his masterpiece – Romeo and Juliet. His wife – Anne Hathaway – is not happy with the tragic ending though where the star-crossed lovers pay the ultimate price for love. She wants Juliet to survive and be given the chance of life beyond her love for Romeo. Accompanied by her nurse Angelique and best friend May, Anne wants Juliet to be seen leaving Verona and moving to Paris to start a new life – and what a new life enfolds!!
What a musical extravaganza this show is! Packed with over thirty pop classics – all composed by Max Martin – it is such a feel good production with a strong, commercial appeal. With well known songs throughout which have been hits with artists such as Britney Spears, Katy Perry and the Backstreet Boys, the songs were well incorporated within the story line and belted out by a very talented and enthusiastic cast.
All the individual actors played their roles faultlessly with such projection and commitment. Gerardine Sacdalan was a great Juliet who transformed before our eyes from a broken hearted teenager to a strong, confident young lady. Her emotion shone through and what an amazing vocal range. Matt Cardle as Shakespeare was brilliant with a great connection with the audience and there was great chemistry between him and his wife Anne Hathaway – played by Lara Denning. Lara had good comedy timing and portrayed Anne with confidence and emotion. Another great partnership was Sandra Marvin as nurse Angelique and Ranj Singh as Lance. As well as being a strong, cheerful character Sandra had a wonderfully powerful singing voice.
The choreography by Jennifer Weber was amazing and performed effortlessly by such talented dancers. Such high energy throughout.
The use of stunning stage lighting and video projections by Howard Hudson and Andrzej Goulding added such an atmosphere to this colourful production. With costumes – designed by Paloma Young – having an Elizabethan chic feel they were totally in keeping with the commercial feel of the dance routines.
Directed by Luke Sheppard and with Bill Sherman as the musical supervisor this show is a sure fire hit. A lively musical with brilliant comedy elements, all finished off with a spectacular finale with the audience being festooned with glitter paper in what can only be described as a ‘ pop concert’ end to an uplifting evening.
Rating: 5/5
Tickets cost from £22
& Juliet is at the Theatre Royal Plymouth until Sat.5th October
For more information or to book tickets, visit www.theatreroyal.com https://theatreroyal.com/whats-on/juliet/?