& JULIET BRADFORD REVIEW
BRADFORD ALHAMBRA THEATRE
WEDNESDAY 26TH MARCH 2025 @ 2PM
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Yesterday, I treated myself to another theatre day trip, travelling to Bradford to see one of my all-time favourite musicals, & Juliet. It’s one of those shows that I think everyone will enjoy. Unless you’re a Shakespeare traditionalist, then this show isn’t for you! Here’s my & Juliet Bradford review.
PRE-SHOW THOUGHTS
I’ll start by saying that I’ve actually seen most of this cast on an earlier tour stop as I saw the show in November in Leeds. I even had my first-ever show stop too as Lara Denning fell ill and was replaced by Harriet Caplan-Dean as Anne after just three songs. I’ve also seen it twice on the West End in 2020 just days before Covid hit and in 2022. Mostly, I was intrigued to see Dr Ranj Singh and Jay McGuiness in their roles as Lance and Shakespeare respectively. It sort of felt like stunt casting but I’m led to believe that both can sing. Yes, I know Jay was in The Wanted but I wouldn’t say I was a fan of theirs!
THE CAST
I adore Gerardine Sacdalan as Juliet. She has the most gorgeous voice with incredible range. Her extra runs on the best pop songs made them feel fresh, even though some are 15-30 years old (ew). She’s also a great dancer!
Next up was Lara Denning as Anne Hathaway. Having missed her last time, I was thrilled she was on. I’ve seen her in Everybody’s Talking About Jamie and wished she’d had more to do! Her voice is rich and powerful but it was her comedic acting that had me in stitches. Her rendition of That’s The Way It Is is nothing short of spectacular.
Jay McGuiness as Shakespeare is a great casting choice. I wouldn’t say he has the strongest vocals in the cast but it’s good enough for a jukebox musical. He’s really funny though and has still got some of those Strictly moves after winning TEN years ago!
You get even more comedy from Sandra Marvin as Nurse and Dr Ranj Singh as Lance. I still wish they had more on-stage time together because they bounce off each other. Marvin has insane vocals and Dr Ranj more than holds his own.
My favourite duo were Kyle Cox as Francois and Jordan Broatch as May. They have gorgeous chemistry and you really believe they’re falling in love for the first time. Also, their voices blend perfectly and I need to see them in more musicals once this tour’s over!
Romeo was played by Liam Morris and I have to say, he might be one of my favourite Romeos. He was very good at playing the lovestruck, naive teenager and he has a lovely voice. To use Romeo’s own words, he’s super dope! He also understudies Francois so I’d love to see his take on that role.
THE PRODUCTION
The ‘company of players’ in & Juliet hold the whole show together. Not only do they play their own characters, but some take on other roles as well as triple threats and set movers! It looks like such a fun show to be part of though and they all seem to be loving it. I’ll admit it does look very tiring but they never show it!
The set is pretty much identical to the West End show and despite being on the upper circle, I really didn’t miss much at all. Other than the backdrop screen which isn’t integral to the show, I could see everything.
My only slight issue was that some of the spotlight cues were delayed. The regular lighting set-ups seemed to be fine but especially when just a couple of performers were on stage, whoever was in the booth was a little slow to react. In fact, some would start dialogue or their song whilst not being properly lit.
Arguably, the highlight of the entire show has to be the soundtrack. If you’re a 90s baby like me, it’s like a trip down childhood memory lane because I grew up listening to most of the songs! Max Martin has worked with just about everybody in the pop music world and it shows. I love that it’s mostly female artists, including Britney, Pink, Ariana, Celine and my all-time favourite singer, Kelly Clarkson. It’s all about empowerment and we all love that!
FINAL THOUGHTS
I know I’ve seen it before but I always fall in love with the show just a little bit more every time. It’s such an uplifting musical and whilst it might not be ground-breaking material, it’s educational in places. Shakespeare was definitely ahead of his time, even if he does come across as an idiot at times! I’ve always been a huge fan of the diverse cast, including a non-binary character. Inclusivity in musical theatre is so important!
Intrigued by my & Juliet Bradford review and watch to watch the show yourself? It continues on its tour until mid-June so there’s still some time to see it. In fact, I’m off to see it in Sheffield in May again because you never know if it will ever return!
If you enjoyed my & Juliet Bradford review, you can check out my other theatre reviews here. Don’t forget to follow me on Twitter, Instagram and TikTok too!
