& Juliet, Kings Theatre, Glasgow, August 14 2024 *** Get the latest entertainment news sent straight to your inbox with our weekly Showbiz newsletter We have more newsletters Get the latest entertainment news sent straight to your inbox with our weekly Showbiz newsletter We have more newsletters This is a bonkers little jukebox musical which makes you question whether Shakespeare should have left it all to the missus. Romeo & Juliet is one of the great tragedies in literature but & Juliet examines what would have happened if the play had a very different ending. It is a play within a play where lines become crossed and there is an overwhelming pantomime thrust.
It takes a while to settle into what they are trying to achieve but if you abandon all preconceived ideas and enjoy the banging 90s tunes - who can resist a set involving Bon Jovi , the Backstreet Boys, Pink, Britney and Katy Perry among others - you can't help getting swept up in the vibrancy of the piece. However, great as the tunes are, there is a tendency to shoehorn too many in to the detriment of the plot. There are some outstanding ensemble numbers as well as talented singular performances.
Former X Factor winner Matt Cardle as the Bard himself was a revelation. His voice was never going to be in question with the pop tunes but his acting skills were far better than expected. Juliet was played by understudy Psalms-Nissi Myers-Reid who has a fabulous voice albeit it took a few songs before the noise boys got the .