Everyone knows the story of Romeo & Juliet, and the infamous ending where the two lovers tragically ended their lives. All out of the love they felt for each other they mutually ended their lives, and thus remained together forever in the afterlife. Romantic, tragic but quite dramatic. Opened at the Shaftesbury Theatre on 20th November 2019, & Juliet provides an alternative ending to Shakespeare’s greatest love story.
What if Juliet did not kill herself after waking up next to Romeo’s corpse? What if, this was just the beginning of her journey? Told through pop anthems from the 90s to mid-2010s like Backstreet Boys, Ariana Grande, Britney Spears and Katy Perry, the audience follows Juliet on her exciting new adventure. She is now given the chance to write her fate, far away from fair Verona with her identity neither tied to her name nor her lover’s. Juliet is given the chance to make memories and forge her path. With the help of her friends and the Shakespeares, Juliet takes her life back into her hands.
Forget about Romeo, this is Juliet’s story.
This musical opens with the most epic entrance for William Shakespeare as he rises from the ground to Backstreet Boys’ “Larger Than Life”, literally acknowledging the large status that William Shakespeare holds. As the musical progresses, Anne Hathaway, Shakespeare’s Wife enters, disputing the original ending of Romeo and Juliet. She does not like it and requests that she rewrites it, ignoring how William likes it that way, all to “I Want it That Way”. At Romeo’s funeral where Juliet finds out he had a list of ex-lovers, making her question the genuinity of her relations with him. She rallies her companions: her mother-figure nurse, non-binary friend May and Anne Hathaway injecting herself into the story; and they set off for Paris. From there, the group bumps into Lance Dubois and Francois Dubois. Francois and May have a moment, but somehow Juliet and Francois become engaged in the chaos. This engagement was purely business, keeping Francois out of the army and Juliet from returning to Verona to become a nun on her parents’ orders. Amidst all this, tension rises between Anne and William because William is not entirely happy with Anne taking over and rewriting his whole play. In true Shakespeare fashion, he proves his love for drama by bringing back Romeo to the song “It’s My Life” by Jon Bon Jovi. Romeo is introduced as a “himbo”, a dense boy who is still infatuated with Juliet. As the musical progresses, Romeo tries to interfere with Juliet’s marriage and Anne expresses her insecurities in regards to William. The wedding, however, does not go through as Juliet backs out and May declares her love for Francois. In the end, Anne and William work on their issues together whilst Juliet gives Romeo a chance again.
Start from the beginning, a clean slate, where the story is now of Juliet and her Romeo, no longer the other way around, because why not?
What is destined, and what is not. This is a story about choice, of choosing what to do with your fate. It demonstrates being headstrong in making choices and sticking with it, holding characters accountable for their own actions and choices. Acceptance is shown through May and her non-binary gender along her relationship with Francois. Furthemore, & Juliet celebrates all forms of love, not just romantic love. Love in the form of friends is important as well because it is those who stick by you who mean the world to you. Love is not only between a man and woman. Love goes beyond that: it transcends sex and gender. It is about you, the person you are and who you are attracted to. The musical also highlights the importance of reciprocity in relationships t. In this day and age, love has been distorted by the media, where teens perception of love is reduced to mean one-night stands, mistaken senses of entitlement and the corrupted playing of feelings. However, & Juliet shows the importance of communicating in a relationship and truly, sincerely getting to know the person. Relationships and love are a two-way street, people have to give and take a little.
Overall, & Juliet has to be one of the greatest musicals I have watched, and I had the privilege to watch it live, in person. Elements of comedy made the show lighthearted and funny, where pop songs were used effectively when characters expressed themselves, and to deepen the plot. Grace Mouat was on for Juliet that night and she was the perfect Juliet in my eyes, innocent and sweet but ready to grow into something more powerful and bigger. The costumes had a modern touch as did the whole show, making it easier for the audience to relate and follow. I highly recommend this show if anyone goes to London’s West End, it is a true gem and deserves all 9 nominations for the 2020 Olivier Awards.