I went to see the hit & Juliet on tour. This week it was at the Milton Keynes Theatre.
It’s a musical take on Romeo and Juliet and wonders what would happen if Juliet didn’t end it all. Cleverly, it brings in Shakespeare and Anne Hathaway, his wife, to alter the story and intervene with the audience. It weaves in many issues relevant to young people today, including empowerment, identity, parental expectations and love.
It used the songs of Max Martin, so Baby One More Time and Roar were prominent. It was a good old mash-up of theatre and rock concert. It captivated me from the start and was full of surprises, technical effects, colourful costumes and stunning settings. The story hurtled along and had moments of genuine feeling but often had its tongue in its cheek. It took itself seriously but, at the same time, mocked itself. I loved it when they pretended to play the keyboards but did so out of time, so they knew that we knew they weren’t really doing it.
Into this mixture, we met Juliet, played by ex-Theatretrain student Gerardine Sacdalan. From the off, she radiated star quality with a smile that could light up a room. She carried that necessary crossover of rock star and character with an assurance and focus. She led the ensemble and could then immediately switch her attention to something else, so you could see she was a generous performer. Neither was she afraid of touching different emotions in a story that took her from grief to joy via uncertainty. Like the other characters, she made a journey of self-discovery through the story. By the end, she had earned the right to climb the stairs and “roar” as golden confetti rained down on us all. All these performing skills look easy when they are done well, but they are the result of hours and hours of hard work and dedication.
If I had to sum up Gerardine’s performance in a word, I’d say it was irrepressible. I’m sure we’ll be seeing her again.
