We must all surely know the Shakespearean tragedy Romeo and Juliet, the infamous tale of two teenagers from rival families who fall in love and die horribly. Now imagine the tale turned on its head, recreated as a musical with a range of fantastic pop songs where Juliet chooses not to sacrifice herself. What you end up with is &Juliet, probably one of the most surprising and delightful stage shows of recent times.
It’s what’s known as a Jukebox musical and its relatable songs are by some very famous artists such as Katy Perry, The BackStreet Boys and Britney Spears to name a few and all written or produced originally by Max Martin.
In this version of the story Juliet survives, avoids her parent’s plans to lock her up in a nunnery and sets off for Paris with her nurse. She has another romance, as do other members of the company and then, her dead husband turns up, turns out he didn’t die after all. As you can imagine a very complicated and extremely funny tale unfolds from that.
But there’s another layer of storytelling as both William Shakespeare and his wife Anne argue and tangle over the story so there is a kind of play within a play thing going on and some drama from their own relationship leaching into the story they are trying to tell. Anne who suggested the change in plot wants to show female empowerment, but Will, just doesn’t want to give up control.
It is a very cleverly constructed story and the pop songs are perfectly suited to the dramatic or comedic moments that occur. Dialogue is interspersed into songs to add a perfect blend of wit and music. An example of that is when Romeo returns unexpectedly we are treated to one of the most stunning performances of the night in It’s My Life.
Not only is the music fantastic, but the casting is spot on. The entire on stage cast is superbly talented both as actors and singers. Kristin Paulse (Juliet) is just sensational with a glorious voice that is melodic and powerful. Awhimai Fraser produces a very nuanced performance as Anne Hathaway and shows both great emotion and plenty of energy in her solos. William Shakespeare is performed by Matu Ngaropo who not only sings beautifully but also has a great flair for comedy.
Two of the cast had some incredible moments of scene stealing – Andrew Grainger as Lance and Lavina Williams can both sing, and Williams proved she is one hell of a diva. What both of them also delivered was a sassy cheek that brought out some of the biggest laughs of the night.
Josh Johnson (Francois), Andrew Papas (Romeo), and Jared Pallesen (May) rounded out the main cast with extremely strong performances and Pallesen’s rendition of I’m Not a Girl, Not Yet a Woman was simply stunning.
The rest of the ensemble were equally awesome, their dancing, singing, and various characters and personalities were perfectly delivered and the chemistry between them and the entire cast was on point and incredible to watch.
Staging was top notch as well. With a set that evoked Elizabethan Era theatre but both it, the props and costumes felt fresh and modern. We don’t get to see the band hidden below the stage but their performance was flawless.
& Juliet is a superb night of entertainment, classy, stylish, and oh so memorable.
& JULIET
8 April to 3 May 2026
Civic Theatre – Auckland
