Review: & Juliet at Opera House is a ‘jukebox musical masterpiece’

& Juliet is back with a bang!

The upbeat jukebox musical first premiered in Manchester in 2019 before taking over the west end – it’s now back for the first leg of a huge UK tour.

The well-deserved buzz around this show is palpable, with two snaking queues to get into the Opera House and a red carpet laid out for some famous faces – and they’re not just in the audience.

& Juliet at The Opera House

This is the first lead role for Gerardine who plays Juliet, but her co-stars are no strangers to the stage and screen.

She is joined by X-Factor winner Matt Cardle as Shakespeare himself, TV doctor Ranj Singh as French royalty and Emmerdale’s Sandra Marvin as Juliet’s doting nanny-like nurse.

This vocal-heavy show features songs by Max Martin and friends, whose names might not ring a bell, but as the writer and producer of more than 20 chart-topping hits, you’re bound to know his music.

& Juliet begins with two back-to-back Backstreet Boys bangers ‘Larger Than Life’ and ‘I Want It That Way’ that all get the audience hyped up for the rest of the up-tempo performance.

Matt Cardle as Shakespeare

The show & Juliet follows the playwright Shakespeare, played by Matt Cardle, and his wife Anne Hathaway (Not that one!) as they rewrite history in real-time, to allow Juliet to write her own love story and discover that there is life after love.

Juliet is played by Gerardine Sacdalan, who spoke to I Love Manchester recently as she geared up for her first stage debut.

The positive affirmations she did certainly paid off, as she received multiple standing ovations throughout the show for her incredible performances of Katy Perry’s ‘Roar’ and Demi Lovato’s ‘Confident’.

The show centres around Juliet and her friends on an adventure to Paris, to escape the romantic drama in Verona, where they meet Lance and his son Francois, played by Ranj Singh and Kyle Cox.

“A show that doesn’t take itself too seriously”

One of the best parts of this whole show is that it doesn’t take itself too seriously, while still portraying incredibly important narratives. From Lance’s funny ‘French’ accent to Shakespeare’s nods to the audience every time he says ‘Where there’s a Will… there’s a way’ and the De Bois Band starring Francois- you’re allowed to laugh and enjoy yourself.

The multidimensional feel of the show allows it to play around with the audience, breaking the fourth wall and keeping you engaged.

It’s not just another Jukebox musical with pop hits thrown in, you’re taken along on the journey with Juliet and her friends.

& Juliet feels fresh and new

The show is exciting and feels so fresh and new, in part because of the music, but also due to the casting and the storylines supporting their identities in a way I’ve never seen on a big stage before.

Juliet’s best friend, played by Jordan Broach, is explained early on as simply being themselves, they’re just May.

They’re backed up by Anne when Shakespeare has some pushback about the character’s gender identity, but this small line in the show, as well as May’s rendition of Britney’s ‘I’m Not A Girl, Not Yet A Woman’, is so powerful.

A diverse showcase

Theatre casting has always been diverse, even in Shakespeare’s time. It’s great to see some of that coming back with & Juliet showcasing plus size, black, non-binary and queer characters.

The producer Tim Headington, who was in the audience enjoying his show from the stalls, summed up his reasoning for wanting to bring & Juliet back to Manchester perfectly.

He said “What Manchester is thinking today England is thinking tomorrow” – he’s not wrong! Manchester is the perfect starting point for & Juliet to kick off their UK tour.

Tickets for & Juliet at Opera House

& Juliet is at the Manchester Opera House until the 20th of July, you really don’t want to miss this incredible show.

You can get tickets by clicking here

You can find out more about what’s playing at Manchester’s Opera House by clicking here