& JULIET reimagines Shakespeare’s classic with a chart-topping soundtrack featuring Max Martin hits.
In the early 1970’s my mother took me to see a travelling production of The Importance of Being Earnest by Oscar Wilde. It was presented at Taree High School Hall and to preteen me it was the epitome of elegance, humour and theatre magic. Imperious Lady Bracknell was enthralling. I was hooked and thus began my enduring passion for live theatre in all its forms.
A few decades later the Manning Entertainment Centre was constructed, providing a fully resourced venue for travelling and locally produced entertainment. Taree Arts Council, which has been around since 1949 (starting as The Music Lovers Club and also putting on productions at Taree High School Hall), is now a regular producer of musicals and other shows at the venue, giving local thespians a joyful opportunity to strut the boards, belt out those tunes and enjoy the incredible camaraderie that being part of the cast and crew of a major production inevitably creates.
In recent years they have presented Les Miserables, Mamma Mia! and Jesus Christ Superstar, various reviews and the 2025 production of & JULIET clearly continues to uphold a strong reputation for this locally produced theatre group.
It’s a regional town, so when you see members of the cast the day after the preview going about their regular business, there’s no surprise. Romeo, aka the barista Alex Blenkin, he of the megawatt smile and steel trap memory for your order, having performed the night before and arrived home at midnight, was back early the next morning serving my small double shot soy latte at the local coffee cart. One of the singing, dancing ensemble members, Cherry Burke; in the classroom preparing for HSC 2026, diligently focusing on an assessment task. Another ensemble member, Sophie Barratt was working in another hospitality venue, telling my husband, who also works there, that she worked on the set, painting and collaborating with the Old Bar Men’s Shed who helped construct the impressive set and props. There’s even a bit of a revolve stage. She also spent at least 14 hours sewing the sequins and other embellishments on Romeo’s seriously cool leather jacket. I admit to coveting that jacket. Layla Clarke, who portrays Juliet’s non-binary friend May in the show, also works there and is apparently excellent at calling the dockets because she really “projects”. Apparently, they love her singing while she works.
For those not familiar with the basic plot of this first produced in 2019 Lawrence Olivier Award winning show, it’s a Jukebox Musical, with iconic songs that were originally written and produced by Max Martin for artists like Backstreet Boys (I Want it That Way), Britney Spears (Hit Me Baby One More Time) and NYSYNC (Its Gonna Be Me) pieced together to form the foundation of a reimagined Romeo and Juliet. Working with David West Read, an acclaimed screenwriter with credits like Schitt’s Creek, the classic tragedy becomes instead a humorous and uplifting story of female empowerment and gender fluidity as Shakespeare’s wife, Anne Hathaway, (Jesse Davidson) steps in to challenge Shakespeare (Adam Gordon) about Juliet dying at the end of the play.
She posits the notion that Juliet (Kate Simpson) chooses to live after Romeo’s death and presents an alternative that allows Juliet to go on a rollicking adventure to Paris with her Nurse, (Kim Stevens), friend May (Layla Clark) and even inserts herself in the narrative as Alice, another of Juliet’s friends. Shakespeare himself becomes the carriage driver as we all hurtle along at a crackin’ pace to a set list of Max Martin hit songs, rapid fire set changes and delightfully energetic dance.
And thus, we learn that Romeo was a terrible philanderer with multiple relationships with both men and women, the nurse had a married lover years ago and that Anne believes that Shakespeare never writes about happy marriages. Anne and Shakespeare bicker at frequent intervals throughout the rewrite of the play about what should happen next for Juliet, with Shakespeare persisting in trying to marry her off, while Anne wants more free choice for her girl, and if she has to break Shakespeare’s quill to ensure that happens, then so be it.
In Paris, it is Juliet this time, along with her friends who gatecrash the party of Francois du Bois, (Travis Cross) a sensitive young musician whose father, Lance (Dean Snook) says he must marry or join the army. After a stage rattling version of Blow at this soiree old relationships are reestablished, new ones formed and reformed and the notion of star-crossed lovers is expanded upon even more.
Heck, it’s even decided later by Shakespeare that Romeo can return from the dead, swinging in on a fly tower harness while belting out a version of “Its My Life” to further challenge the developing alliances and rekindled passions.
It’s the type of show that one could see several times and still find something new. Fast paced, tight and hugely energetic, I readily admit that I think I missed a lot, despite my best efforts to take it all in.
The Director, Ayesha Haeata, is also the Choreographer for the show AND the Head of Costuming, all of which have been superbly managed. The show is slick and colourful, the set changes seamless, and the costuming is a wildly eclectic mix of contemporary street wear, long haired wigs and Elizabethan corsetry and adornments. There’s even a ruff.
The 20 young ensemble members and 8 main characters all completely nailed the choreography with songs like Everybody, Stronger and Roar being huge fun dance numbers with everyone clearly enjoying the teen romcom/pop concert atmosphere and inherent empowerment those songs project. Musical Director Jess Evans and Band Director Dave Evans with his 4-piece band must have both had a marvellous time working on all those Max Martin numbers with this cast in one of the biggest, brightest dance parties going.
With such a strong, youthful and talented cast it would take another 1,000 words to identify and acknowledge individual merits and special moments. It really is an ensemble work, with 100% commitment all round. However, special mention must be made for Kate Simpson as Juliet. It’s a demanding triple threat role and she nails it with strength, energy, precision and lightness of spirit. She’s a delight to watch.
It really is all about the Max Martin songs after all. And who hasn’t read or watched Romeo and Juliet and wished that those star-crossed lovers could have been a little less hormonally impetuous and impulsive.
& JULIET is another high-quality production by Taree Arts Council and worth going to see. And fortunately, for this production you don’t have to sit on chewing gum speckled chairs in Taree High School Hall to watch the show.
Taree Arts Council’s production of & JULIET is playing the Manning Entertainment Centre 33 Manning River Drive, Taree until Sunday 16th November. There are multiple shows; 12pm, 2pm and 8pm.
Book now: https://bit.ly/3JgYOaX
