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| Photo Credit Hagen Hopkins |
Is there life after Romeo? Damn straight, there is!
But, yeah, what if Juliet didn’t die at the end of Romeo and Juliet? What if she gets a second chance? What if Anne Hathaway, Will’s neglected and often forgotten other half, decided to get in on the action, take over the quill, and rewrite Juliet’s history?
That’s the brief in for this show, giving it a bit of a provocative twist. And it’s from this premise, that the musical launches itself into a bold reimagining of Shakespeare’s world, following Juliet as she steps beyond Verona and begins to define herself outside of destiny, romance, and expectation.
Driven by a catalogue of iconic pop anthems by Max Martin, the story reframes love not as sacrifice, but as choice — suggesting that the most powerful transformation comes when Juliet claims authorship of her own life. In other words, she’s not beholden to a tragic male with a blood-stained quill and a penchant for romantic disasters. She can make her own decisions, independent of her parent, her mafioso tragi-family and her star crash destiny.
The show features a plethora of top 10 hits, amongst them: I Want It That Way, …Baby One More Time,
Show Me the Meaning of
Being Lonely, Confident, Teenage Dream, Oops!… I Did It Again, I Kissed a Girl,
It’s My Life, Since U
Been Gone, Whataya Want from Me, Everybody (Backstreet’s Back), As Long As You
Love Me, It’s Gonna Be Me, Shape of My Heart, Roar, I Want It That Way
(Reprise), Can’t Stop the Feeling! And if the setlist in
this musical looks way to familiar, that’s because it is. They are all the work
of the mighty Swede Max Martin. In the modern pop Sweden has been widely
documented as the most successful hit‑making country per capita, with writers and
producers responsible for a disproportionately large share of global and
Billboard Hot 100 chart‑toppers.
And, as you’d expect, this dominance is led by figures such as Max Martin (the most successful producer and one of the top two songwriters in Billboard Hot 100 history), alongside Denniz Pop, Shellback, Rami Yacoub, Oscar Holter, Mattman & Robin, and Avicii, whose collective work underpins hundreds of international hits by artists like Britney Spears, Taylor Swift, The Weeknd, Katy Perry, and Ariana Grande.
& Juliet began with an idea from Martin’s wife, Jenny Petersson, who encouraged him to turn his song catalogue into a stage musical only if it did something unexpected, which led Martin to partner with David West Read after Read proposed re‑imagining Romeo and Juliet by letting Juliet live and choose her own future; the goal was to flip both Shakespeare and the jukebox‑musical format by using Martin’s pop hits as genuine emotional storytelling tools focused on agency, second chances, and reinvention rather than tragedy or nostalgia, a concept reinforced by the jukebox that appears in the opening and closing scenes. Development began in the mid‑to‑late 2010s (around 2016–2017), and the show had its world premiere in September 2019 at the Manchester Opera House, before transferring to London’s West End later that year.
Critically, the show’s greatest strength lies in its clarity of purpose. & Juliet never pretends to be subtle or reverent. Nope. It’s not highbrow or intellectual. Quite the opposite, leaning, almost horizontally, into fun, humour, and emotional accessibility. The integration of pop into the narrative is handled with confidence – so much so that if you’d somehow slept through commercial radio for 30 years and suddenly woken up, you’d swear these were all perfectly written for the show. Some cheesy lyric swapping here and there might just be a giveaway, though. Case in point “I want it, Anne Hathaway”, sings Will (instead of “I want it that way” on The Backstreet Boys’ Tell Me Why).
With a show like this, there’s a clear template to follow. But even the most seasoned directorial teams can fall over attempting to cut’n’paste West End and Broadway onto an Aotearoa stage setting. On the contrary, G&T’s team have transplanted the Razz and Pizazz of the West End and mixed in the best of Kiwi aroha in the subtlety and nuances, from the choice of casting a local cast and crew right down to the buttons and bows. And that’s makes this show ever more special.
Dave Sparks’ video graphics are strong and clean. For instance, Juliet’s room features a huge tapestry of a unicorn – which comes to life and dances! In the Parisian scenes there’s the obvious – the tower and Moulin Rouge windmills (a nod to Baz Luhrmann perhaps?).
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| Photo Credit Hagen Hopkins |
Matthew Marshall’s lighting is full Rock’n’Roll. It’s drama all the way. If you’ve been to an Ariana or Katy Perry show lately you’ll know what I mean.
There’s a strong representation of tangata whenua in the leads, with Awhimai Fraser (Anne), Matu Ngaropo (William Shakespeare) and Lavina Williams (Angelique). All three totally blew me away with their professionalism. Form their first notes and lines I was totally transfixed.
Fraser showed all her skills, honed, no doubt with her recent voicing of the character Matangi in Disney’s Moana 2, alongside and impressive catalogue of other works. She brings some extraordinary vocal skills and cultural depth to the role of Anne, elevating her from a shallow historical footnote to a joyous, sometimes feisty, yet fully fledged 3-dimensional character.
In contrast Matu Ngaropo (William Shakespeare), gives us a stubborn, and sometimes playful, alpha-male tragic playwright, torn between honouring his wife’s whimsical wishes and his stubborn muse.
Ngaropo has performed
extensively, both here and overseas, including originating George Washington in
Hamilton Australia, where he no doubt has channelled some of that same energy
into his current Elizabethan staunchness. He’s well familiar with the bard, with
over 20 Shakespeare productions to his name, he’s my choice for a team mate at
the next pub quiz-nite.
And when it comes to raunchy comedy swagger Lavina Williams is the wahine you want. She plays a brilliant ‘Veronese Cockney’ and a wonderful contrast to Andrew Grainger’s literally over bloated and outrageously cliché’ French aristocrat Lance DuBois. William’s vocal range is staggering. She nails everything to the wall with enviable gusto, proving what a stage queen she really is. She rules – go see this show for her alone!
And if that’s not enough, then there’s Kristin Paulse (Juliet). South African–born and Tamaki-Makaurau raised, and currently living and working across the ditch. & Juliet is her very welcome home-coming. Over there the critics raved about her time in RENT (at the Sydney Opera House) and in and Tina: The Tina Turner Musical. Her diminutive size is a total advantage, selling Juliet as young and impressionable, but, as we learn, she’s got the full ‘Katy P’ and can definitely ‘Roar!’ What a set of lungs – powerful on the mega ballads and even more so on the upbeat bangers. She can be coquettish one moment and go full Fem-B*tch when Romeo returns from the dead, a now discovered womanizer, ripe to be cut town to size by a now-streetwise Juliet. Paulse makes sure we know all about her transformation from innocent waif to self-determined warrior queen.
In contrast, Andrew Papas has transformed Romeo into a bit of a clueless self-absorbed teen, who can’t understand why Juliet isn’t lusting and fawning over his recently resurrected body. (Side note her, Papas is a bit of a spunk, having previously toured with boyband Titanium before building a diverse career across music, theatre, and broadcasting. Yet somehow Jules manages to resist!).
Full credit to the writers for creating the fabulous non-binary character May, played expertly by Jared Pallesen (Wicked, Something Rotten! and Cringeworthy). What I really loved was the credibility Jared brought to May, resisting the temptation to over play the camp whilst selling the vulnerability and nervousness, the awkward teen affection and affliction as they try to navigate a new relationship with the equally awkward Francois, played brilliantly by Josh Johnson (Jersey Boys).
That’s the leads, but I also want to give an equal shout out to the supporting cast
(Geena Hutton - Juliet Alternate; Nomi Cohen - Lady Capulet; Jordi Rea - Lord
Capulet: Benjamin Williams; Rebekkah Schoonbeek-Berridge - Dance Captain; Josh
Morris; Tyrell Beck; Drew Noble; Isla Mayo; Lily Burgess-Munro; Berenice
Wannenburg; Solomon Gray). right from the opening ‘warm up’ explode onto the
stage and rip up the set with an incredible energy that carries the show at
breakneck sped right through to the final moments. I really enjoyed those
small, nuance embellishments they bring, the wonderful dancing in the crowd
scenes and even the impromptu break moves. Like the best supporting cast, these
are the people that give the leads the opportunities to bounce off, sing to, and
create credible moments that enhance and carry the story forward. They all
delivered on that. No, they went beyond.
The scenic design for & Juliet is deliberately fluid and playful, rather than realistic. Instead of transporting the audience to historically accurate locations, the set creates a story‑telling playground where Shakespeare’s world collides with 21st‑century pop culture.
The show is about rewriting a story, so the set feels editable and changeable. It mirrors the idea of a gig oran pop arena, matching the Max Martin soundtrack. The aesthetic allows rapid shifts between Verona, Paris and fantasy spaces without interrupting momentum.
& Juliet features a fluid, contemporary set that blends Renaissance‑inspired architectural framing with pop‑concert energy, using platforms and levels to keep the stage in constant motion. Large integrated LED screens sit within this classical frame and are used to instantly shift locations, colour mood, and add witty, self‑aware commentary that reflects the show’s theme of rewriting Shakespeare’s story. During musical numbers, the LEDs function like arena‑concert visuals, syncing bold graphics and animation with lighting and choreography to create a high‑energy, modern spectacle.
The production design reinforces this approach through striking contrast and deliberate theatricality. The set and lighting combine period references with contemporary textures, creating a flexible, kinetic stage space that supports rapid shifts in mood and location. Bold lighting choices energise musical numbers and heighten emotional beats, while the overall visual language embraces anachronism as a feature rather than a flaw. This design sensibility mirrors the show’s themes, signalling that the past is not being discarded, but reworked through a modern lens. This is as much a rock stage as it is a musical one. I just saw Chappell Roan onstage recently and I can easily draw comparisons with her castle set.
The added embellishments for the stage crew, including a character ‘flying’ on a chandelier and a suspended park bench were beautifully done (given the high-risk potential at least). That takes real skill and stage craft. I appreciate that.
Led by conductor Zac
Johns, the 7-piece band is flawless. So much so that I was almost completely
convince it was just a soundtrack. Only occasionally did I hear the squeak of
fingers on a cello or violin fretboard.
Destiny Anderson’s choreography draws on her 20 years in the industry, and mixes ballet, musical theatre tropes and clichés and modern hip-hop together in a really fun way. This really does feel like a concert, with the dancers never overburdened, free to sing and really move with energy. There’s plenty of references to 90’s music videos, most obviously in the ‘DeBois’ boyband piece and I loved the use of the revolving set by Francois and May. They made a complicated set of repetitive steps look so easy and almost invisible. Same for the set changes which used the revolve to make furniture like huge four poster beds literally disappear in a flash. Having crewed backstage plenty myself I really know how challenging that can be.
My final shout out is to costume designed Tracy Grant Lord. Her many years’ experience in ballet and opera totally shines. She’s chosen a combination of double denim (for the rock element) and icons from the Shakespearean era like ruffs, bodices and pirate shirts. Dressing Romeo in a pink flared shirt and a leather-look biker jacket for a doublet along with his duck’s ass hairdo totally mixed it up but it worked. Almost New Romantic – lol!
What I love is the huge list of Kiwis in the crew who have contributed to this show – everyone from pattern cutters to audition accompanists and they are all credited in the programme. G&T really respect theatre people! There’s a mega-team behind this production and it really shines. Full credit to everyone involved!
Ultimately, the show works because it fully commits to its own identity: bold, joyous, emotionally direct, and delightfully theatrical. By weaving familiar pop songs into the story with intention and wit, it transforms well-known hits into meaningful emotional markers rather than fleeting gimmicks. In doing so, the production transcends the boundaries of a traditional musical, emerging instead as a shared, celebratory experience that invites the audience to participate fully in its energy and spirit.
Final, disclosure for me. I hate 90’s pop – especially Celine Dion, Boybands and all that. But I’ve always maintained a good song is still a good song. It just needs the right production, the right setting and the right singer. Transposing Martin’s music into a show like this might just have done it for me. I can’t help smiling. I loved it so much I’m coming back. And so is my companion. She bought two more tickets, too. People better get moving before we buy up the last ones! After all, this is the show they invented FOMO for.
Especial thanks to
Kate Ghent and Team 818 for arranging us to be at the gala opening – you guys
rock!
Tour Dates & Venues
Auckland — The Civic Theatre - 9 April – 3 May 2026
Wellington — St James Theatre - 9 May – 24 May 2026
Christchurch — Isaac Theatre Royal - 30 May – 13 June 2026
www.gntproductions.co.nz/and-juliet
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| Photo Credit Hagen Hopkins |
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