Review: & Juliet at the Liverpool Empire Theatre

“…the entire audience were on their feet singing and dancing along…”

& Juliet by David West Read, Liverpool Empire Theatre

by Melissa Molloy

Entertaining, energetic and explosive are the adjectives of the night in this laugh-out-loud, sing-along spectacular. From start to finish you are hit with song after song, most of which are pop hits, meaning you will have no excuse not to tap your leg to the beat as the music fills the theatre.

The premise of this play is excellent – what would you have the characters in a Shakespeare play do if you could rewrite their story? This is exactly what William Shakespeare and Anne Hathaway (played by Matt Cardle and Lara Denning respectively) did in a hilarious bickering, sarcastic, married couple kind of way. Anne Hathaway wants Juliet to live a life of autonomy, whereas William Shakespeare wants to cause conflict, or, in his words, ‘just kill them both off’. This idea sets the scene for Juliet to run off to Paris with her best friends and accept yet another marriage proposal. With the efforts of both Ann and William rewriting the play as it is being played out, things do not run smoothly in the course of love for Juliet, or for anyone else for that matter.

You will not be disappointed by the singing; it was phenomenal from every single actor. No one missed a beat and Juliet (played by Gerardine Sacdalan) commanded the stage with both her presence and her powerful voice. She belted out hit after hit and was complemented perfectly by the voices of the supporting cast. Some of the songs were word for word from the originals, which made for some humorous gags when the song fitted the scene perfectly, with other songs being adapted or written specifically to fit the play. You will wonder where Geraldine Sacdalan’s energy comes from as she dances her way from scene to scene effortlessly, smiling with enthusiasm throughout the entire 2.5hr run time – I felt exhausted just watching her. The choreography and execution of the dance moves from every single actor on stage was perfect.

The production was definitely following the ‘go big or go home’ mantra with the stage illuminated with flashing lights, pyrotechnics, glitter, and even a huge cloud of gold confetti that shoots into the crowd in the finale. The costumes were an interesting mix of modern Shakespearean with an array of denim, tulle and satin, and although I did have a few concerns over Juliet’s little satin high-school-musical-inspired outfit staying put, it served its purpose well and she maintained her modesty until the next costume change.

Although the play is generally light-hearted, it covers some serious topics and in act two, the theme of love is a key feature. Self love, loving who you want to love, freedom to choose and love your own life, family love, relationships and acceptance are all emotive subjects that this play tackles well, ensuring each intense scene breaks into a jovial display of song, dance or humour before becoming too overtly emotional.

In the audience you will find every age represented – from the 7-year-old dressed in her sparkly shoes, to the 87-year-old donning her glittery cardy. As a note to anyone planning on taking along a younger audience, be aware that there are a few expletives and a fair number of innuendos along the way. The one-liners are funny and William Shakespeare is true to life with his puns, loving nothing more than quoting himself and bragging about how he invented many famous phrases – at which point he gets comically ridiculed by his wife!

Everyone was there for a good time and by the end of the play the entire audience were on their feet singing and dancing along. You will most certainly find everyone leaving the theatre laughing and excitedly retelling their favourite parts of the play as they scurry out the front doors to head home.

& Juliet plays at Liverpool Empire Theatre until Saturday 2 November. Tickets can be booked here.

Melissa Molloy is currently masquerading as a special needs teacher, having previously spent 10 years teaching English, media studies and drama. In her spare time, she offers editorial reviews, beta-reads and guidance to new authors who wish to self-publish their writing. In lieu of sleeping, Melissa often finds herself with her head buried in her laptop – slowly writing her first novel. When she isn’t drowning in work, Melissa can be found paddleboarding and kayaking in local lakes, usually accompanied by at least one or two of her four children.