To a casual observer, the Romeo and Juliet tale has been told and told again, in so many different formats. It is hard to argue with this, as there have been multiple reincarnations of this tale, from theatre performances, to film adaptations, to musicals, and even different media interpretations that take the skeleton of the story and apply it in a different time and setting. You can understand why people may show skepticism when a new version of the tale is told, but hear me out:
I had seen this show before, back when it had a home in London, the Shaftesbury Theatre to be exact, and I'm thrilled the tour production in Leicester was a match if not an even more powerful take on the tale. It is basically a twist on the Romeo and Juliet tragedy, which follows a very much alive Juliet on a journey to discover who she really is, and what she really wants, when she survives and her beau, the famous Romeo, doesn't. It is a jukebox musical, meaning it takes popular songs already in existence, and weaves them into the fabric of a story, the most famous other example of a musical of this genre being Mamma Mia.
This particular version starred Gerardine Sacdalan as Juliet, and she displayed the many facets of Juliet's character very well, from the teenage excitement of being young and free and single, to the maturity of the young adult searching for a purpose. Her nurse and confidante was played by Sandra Marvin, and she provided the character a blend of sass, vulnerability and wisdom that made her such a maternal figure you couldn't help but want to share a hug (and maybe a drink or two) with.
Without spoiling too much of the plot, of course even in this tale of female - and even at times male - empowerment, we can't miss out the Romeo character. Liam Morris took on this notorious role and was a joy to watch, delivering the lines in a sappy but likeable way. It would've been easy to turn Romeo into the villain, given the theme of the show and what the first few scenes were about, but the show, and Liam, made him into a likeable character you still rooted for even by the end.
William Shakespeare and Anne Hathaway were the characters very much the narrators / puppet masters steering the characters one way or another. Jay McGuiness (from the Wanted), and Lara Denning, played these roles exceptionally well, with Lara tugging at everyone's heartstrings with a powerful rendition of That's the Way It Is a pop ballad formerly sung by the powerhouse that is Celine Dion. Both of them tackled their roles with a seamless blend of comedy, drama and silliness.
Other characters added into the tale were May, played by Jordan Broatch, a character created specifically to be Juliet's best friend, and Francois and Lance, a father and son based in Paris who cross paths with Juliet and her company. Francois and Lance were paid respectively by Kyle Cox and Lee Latchford-Evans (from Steps), and whilst it must be incredibly hard to portray a new character in an established tale that has literally been around for centuries, all three of them didn't let it phase them, and just had fun with it, and you can tell with all of the cast that they had an absolute blast making this show, which always elevates a show to new heights if you know the performers enjoy it too.
I think this was a fantastic show, and it is on at the Curve for two more performances until 21/02/2025. After that, it continues its tour across the UK and Ireland, so please do check it out if you get chance. All the details can be found on the website: https://www.andjulietthemusical.co.uk/
My final thoughts are that musicals that celebrate both female and male empowerment are few and far between. As well as being a diverse cast, with diverse and unique characters, it still celebrated love and marriage, whilst at the same time promoting the idea of independence and learning to love yourself. I hope this musical does find a home in the West End again, I think - and hope - it will continue to "Roar" for many years to come.
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