It is not unusual to see a modern-day adaptation of a great Shakespearean play.
I mean I don’t blame people for trying, as the foundations are of course taken from the works of a genius.
But none are quite like &Juliet, where the classic tragedy featuring Shakespeare’s best-known star-crossed lovers is flipped on its head to produce a side-splitting comedy with girl power taking centre stage.
Couple that with a soundtrack of a Millenial’s dreams and you have the hit Broadway musical which is attracting audiences in their droves.
It’s been a musical which has created a lot of buzz over the last few years, so when I heard it was headed to Aberdeen I was itching to see what all the fuss was about.
And I was not disappointed.
Opening to a packed audience at HM Theatre last night, the high-energy performance was packed full of punch, delivered with gusto and above all so very clever.
For any Shakespeare fans out there, it delivered all the hallmarks of a good comedy.
A little bit risky, with plenty of innuendo, men in disguise, perfect comedy duos, and a very witty script.
This was largely helped by an ingenious music choice which consisted of pop cult classics from the 2000s.
The song choice and lyrics fit in perfectly to tell the story of what would have happened had Juliet not gone through with her side of the suicide pact.
As is probably to be expected, standout performances of the night went to the leading ladies with Lara Denning as Shakespeare’s wife Anne, Gerardine Sacdalan as Juliet, and Sandra Marvin as Angelique. They were absolute powerhouses.
It was also nice to see The Wanted’s Jay McGuiness as Shakespeare, and Lee Latchford Evans from Steps as Lance. Lee delivered some of the night’s funniest moments for me.
As is standard these days for the touring productions treading the board at His Majesty’s Theatre, the staging, setting, costumes and band were all fabulous, adding to the sheer joy of the show.
If you haven’t already bought tickets for this uplifting, feel good, empowering musical I suggest you do so quickly.
It’s on until Saturday and you can buy tickets here
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