Verdict: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.5 (reviewed Saturday 11 October 2025).
In Shakespeare’s Romeo & Juliet, two star crossed lovers unalive themselves after a terrible miscommunication.
But what if Juliet lived after her disastrous relationship with Romeo?
Presented by PACA Productions, this musical turns the 400+ year old play on its head, bringing it up to date for a 1990s – post millennial crowd. It’s vibrant, it’s imaginative and it’s entertaining, with a fantastic pro-equality script that honours Shakespeare’s brilliance for wit and wordplay.
Music and lyrics by Max Martin and Friends features a medley of pop songs interwoven into the storyline. Book is by David West Read. Rodrigo Medina Noel and William Pulley are co-directors & musical directors. Choreography is by Janina Hamerlock. Ziv Pinco is associate musical director. Set design is by Tony Odling. Costume design is by Erica Williams, with Erica Williams and Lili Clifton credited with costuming.
The show is impressive in its sheer scale of brilliance and commitment to good story telling. A PACA show will always satisfy the heart and mind, giving credibility and respect to the characters being portrayed. Juliet is not a damsel in distress, a weak girl who commits the ultimate foolish crime of teenage impulsivity, but instead, is a strong, passionate woman surrounded by other strong passionate women, who encourage and mentor each other to be respected and heard.
And thus, while break-ups can be messy and offer plenty of fodder for juicy gossip, the musical also unravels the universal riddles of: how long does it take to recover from a break-up? How do you know if you are really over someone? Or if the person you meet is the right person to marry? Should you marry at all?
The cast deliver these themes with great chemistry and comedic timing.
Jade Lee as Juliet is adorable in an unserious kind of way, playing along with some fun direction which elicits big audience laughs (eg playing the virginal – a type of keyboard – with her new beau, Frankie DuBois).
Ryan McClean is sensitive and conflicted as the aforementioned Frankie – or Francois – torn between keeping his father happy and finding his own confidence as a young man. He kissed a girl, sorta liked it, but not enough to convince him that she’s the one. Yet here he is, getting ready to marry her.
Brad Clarke plays Lance – Frankie’s dad – a French aristocratic widower with plenty of virility and spirit. The middle-aged romance can be a bit risky but Clarke and co-star deliver the scenes with a healthy dose of unabashed humour.
Annette Vitetta is Angelique, Juliet’s nurse who finally gets a decent storyline of her own. And it feels incredibly liberating to hear Vitetta delivering the lines on what her character wants in a marriage: “I expect to be treated and worshipped EVERY DAY like a QUEEN!!!!”
Baxter Waller is Romeo, the pretty boy with many secret lovers that adds a new dimension for this story. Why – oh why! – despite all the obvious red flags – must we put these men pedestals?! Waller appears to enjoy the role with relish and good humour.
May is a newly created character, played by Daniel Timmins. It’s an emotionally demanding role with plenty of songs about self-exploration and acceptance, and Timmins delivers the part with all the complexities that the role requires.
Ben James is William Shakespeare, an ambitious, smug, smirking, self-absorbed writer with his own pedestal complex that is damaging his marriage to Anne Hathaway (played by Marika Zorlu). James enjoys the limelight playing such an iconic role, making it fun and engaging.
While James plays up the glitzy exterior of Shakespeare’s celebrity, Zorlu accesses the sparkly interior of Anne, imbuing her character with fading optimism that she is still in love with her husband, and an unmitigating resolve to change the narrative trope for women. That kind of endurance, through the ups and downs of a long married life, is an interesting theme to explore, and the musical makes generous room for it.
As the audience we wait with bated breath to see how Anne will set the story right for generations to come.
& Juliet is playing at Riverside Theatres till 19 October. For tickets go to https://riversideparramatta.com.au/whats-on/and-juliet/