Have you ever wondered what would have happened if Juliet… hadn’t killed herself?
WELL. Do I have the story for you! & Juliet is a brand new West End musical based around that very concept. The show presents us with Shakespeare explaining the plot of Romeo & Juliet, but before he gets to the end of his story, his wife interrupts and offers an alternative.
Instead of plunging the dagger into her own heart, Juliet survives the story and goes on to make new friends and fall in love all over again.
This story is also made more fun by the inclusion of William Shakespeare and his wonderful wife, Anne Hathaway! She gets to tell Will how she thinks the story should go, and on top of that . . . inserts herself into the story as one of Juliet’s friends.
The musical itself is a jukebox musical, and it uses a collection of hits written by absolute legend Max Martin. Shakespeare sings the Backstreet Boys, Romeo (spoiler, he lives too!) sings Bon Jovi, and Juliet sings Katy Perry.
All the songs fit so wonderfully into the story, and being able to hear some iconic hits from the late ’90s until now reimagined in such a fun way is exciting and new! There are some very classic jams in this show, but not only are they sung by a whole new group of talented people, a few are also mashups, such as Problem/Can’t Feel My Face. There’s also a brand new Max Martin song, “One More Try,” and it will be stuck in your head as soon as you hear it.
There’s always something so thrilling about feminist re-imaginings of great historical stories, and & Juliet is no exception. Not only do we get an empowered, excited young Juliet surviving, but & Juliet also serves to tell us that pretty things, fun music, and the color pink, are worthy of history’s greatest stories.
So, give the cast recording a listen, admire the costumes, and hear one of history’s most memorable heroines roar!
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