Review: & Juliet at Scott Theatre

There are few things more satisfying than watching a story you think you know completely turn around, throw off its corset, put on a pair of dancing shoes and announce, actually, I think I’ll write my own ending.

That is precisely the delicious premise of & Juliet, the exuberant jukebox musical that asks the question Shakespeare probably never anticipated; what if Juliet simply decided that Romeo wasn’t worth dying for?

Presented by the third-year graduating class and second-year students of Elder Conservatorium Music Theatre, this production is big, brash, gloriously pop-fuelled and, most importantly, enormous fun.

Directed by Matt Hyde, who brings an intimate understanding of the show having worked on its original London production, this & Juliet feels completely at home in the hands of these emerging performers. There is an infectious confidence to the production, with Hyde allowing the students to embrace the show’s comedy and camp while never losing sight of its heart.

Zoë Komazec has absolutely thrown the kitchen sink at this one, and then taught it thirty two counts of choreography. The movement is energetic, slick and relentless, with the 45-strong company frequently filling the stage in spectacular formations. There is a real sense of musical theatre muscle behind the dancing; clean, committed and performed with the kind of abandon that makes an audience want to get out of their seat and join in.

Under Paul Sinkinson’s musical direction, the Max Martin catalogue sounds every bit as irresistible as it should. These are songs that many of us have lived with for decades, but & Juliet has the clever trick of making them mean something completely different in context.

Christopher Snape’s lighting design adds another layer of pop-concert glamour, while Jamie Mensforth’s sound design ensures the sheer scale of the musical numbers never overwhelms the performers.

With a cast this large, it would be very easy for individual performers to disappear into the crowd. Instead, this ensemble has presence. They dance, sing, react and inhabit the world of the show with impressive consistency. The company numbers have a wonderful collective energy, particularly Larger than Life, Blow and the joyous Can’t Stop the Feeling! finale.

And then, of course, there are the characters who make this revisionist fairy tale so much fun.

Liam Goodes as May brings warmth, vulnerability and beautifully understated emotional intelligence to the role. May’s journey through I’m Not a Girl, Not Yet a Woman gives the show one of its most affecting moments.

Opposite him, Samuel Cannizzaro’s Francois is wonderfully endearing. There is a lovely sincerity beneath the character’s comic awkwardness, and Cannizzaro handles the vocal demands of Overprotected, Whataya Want From Me and Everybody with impressive ease. The developing relationship between May and Francois becomes one of the production’s genuine emotional anchors.

Charlotte Lee’s Angelique is an absolute delight. She combines comic timing, vocal strength and theatrical confidence, particularly through Domino, Oops!… I Did It Again and the tender F**in’ Perfect*. Lee knows when to turn the dial up and when to let a moment breathe.

And then there is Leo Sage as Lance, who seems to have discovered that there is no such thing as too much when playing this particular character. Sage leans gloriously into the comedy while giving Lance genuine heart, particularly through Teenage Dream/Break Free and Shape of My Heart. His chemistry with Lee’s Angelique is a joy.

Finn Jaques as Romeo deserves his own paragraph, possibly because Romeo would demand one.

This is Romeo by way of Zoolander, with just the right amount of pout, pose, self-belief and complete obliviousness. Jaques understands that the joke isn’t simply that Romeo is ridiculous; it is that Romeo is completely unaware of just how ridiculous he is. From It’s My Life through Love Me Like You Do to Problem/Can’t Feel My Face, Jaques commits to every deliciously over-the-top moment. It is a performance that knows exactly what it is doing and invites the audience to enjoy every second of it.

Michael Jones as Shakespeare is another standout, bringing a wonderfully dry comic sensibility to the role. Their Shakespeare is part egotistical playwright, part frustrated spouse and entirely convinced that they know how this story should end. Jones’ dynamic with Sammi Keough’s Anne is particularly strong, with the two bouncing beautifully off each other through I Want It That Way, It’s My Life and the show’s later reprise.

Keough brings far more than comic timing to Anne, however. There is a real richness and maturity to her voice, with a beautifully controlled vocal quality that allows her to move effortlessly between the comedy and the more emotional moments of the score. Their vocals, especially in That’s The Way It Is, have warmth and depth, with a lovely clarity in the upper register and enough power behind them to cut through the bigger ensemble numbers without ever sounding forced.

There is also a wonderful sense of partnership between Keough and Jones. Anne may be the woman standing opposite Shakespeare and challenging their version of the story, but Keough gives her a quiet authority that makes it clear she has probably been winning these arguments for years.

And thank goodness.

Because at the centre of all this pop-powered chaos is Natalie Soäres as Juliet.

Soäres has the vocal ability, dance technique and stage presence required to carry the title role, but what makes her Juliet work is her sense of journey. This isn’t simply Juliet swapping one boy for another. It is a young woman discovering that she is allowed to make choices for herself.

From …Baby One More Time and Domino through Since U Been Gone, Stronger and finally Roar, Soäres takes Juliet from sheltered daughter to self-determined woman without losing the humour that makes the character so engaging.

And that final Roar feels like exactly what this production has been building towards.

Because underneath the sequins, the boy bands, the Britney, the Backstreet Boys and the very questionable decisions of William Shakespeare, & Juliet is a rather lovely celebration of agency.

It says that maybe happily ever after isn’t a destination, or even a person.

Perhaps it is simply the moment you realise you get to decide what happens next.

For these talented young performers, there is an additional layer of meaning. They are standing on the threshold of their own next chapters, and watching a graduating company throw themselves so wholeheartedly into a production about rewriting your story feels particularly apt.

This is musical theatre that knows exactly what it wants to be; loud, funny, colourful, ridiculously entertaining and occasionally rather moving when you least expect it.

The story may belong to Shakespeare.

But this & Juliet belongs very firmly to its performers.

5 stars

Lia Loves.