& Juliet will close in the West End and head on tour
The hit musical runs until March
& Juliet, the musical that turned one of the most famous love stories on its head have announced their final performance in the West End.
The Olivier Award-winning Max Martin jukebox musical opened at the Shaftesbury Theatre back in 2019 and became a huge hit. Their final performance will be on 25th March 2023 before heading on a UK tour.
A statement on the show's social media said: 'After an incredible 3.5 years in the West End, & Juliet will play its final performance at the Shaftesbury Theatre on Saturday 25 March 2023.
'Since we first opened at the Manchester Opera House, we have been so lucky to have the most incredible audiences, playing to nightly standing ovations. Huge thanks to our magnificent company and creative team, and to all who are part of the & Juliet family.
'New productions have been announced for the Stephen Sondheim Theatre in New York and the Regent Theatre in Melbourne, and a UK Tour and European production will also be announced soon. Thank you to our audiences for your support - we look forward to seeing you again before we party out on 25 March!'
What is & Juliet about?
& Juliet is a retelling of Shakespeare's classic Romeo & Juliet where it turns out that Juliet never died and we get to see what she got on to next. But she will have to face her past in order to find her future. Can she reclaim a story that has been written in the stars?
The show is packed with the music of producer Max Martin who was behind some iconic music hits including Britney Spears' '...Baby One More Time', Katy Perry's 'Teenage Dream', and Bon Jovi's 'It's My Life'.
Meet the current & Juliet cast
Miriam-Teak Lee as Juliet
Miriam-Teak made her professional debut in the Regent's Park Open Air Theatre's production of On the Town where she won Best Actress in a Musical at the 2017 Stage Debut Awards she then appeared in Hamilton at the Victoria Palace.
Cassidy Janson as Anne
Cassidy's credits include Man of La Mancha (London Coliseum), Chess (London Coliseum), Beautiful: The Carole King Musical (Aldwych Theatre), Avenue Q (Gielgud Theatre), Wicked (Apollo Victoria) and Tick, Tick.. Boom! (Meinier Chocolate Factory).
Oliver Tompsett as William Shakespeare
Oliver's West End credits include Kinky Boots (Adelphi Theatre), Guys & Dolls (Phoenix Theatre), We Will Rock You (Dominion Theatre), Rock of Ages (Shaftesbury Theatre), Wicked (Apollo Victoria) and Mamma Mia! (Prince of Wales Theatre).
Keala Settle as the Nurse
Keala Settle is best known for her role as Lettie Lutz in The Greatest Showman. She has also appeared in the Broadway productions of Les Misérables and Waitress.
Tom Francis as Romeo
Tom's credits include What's New Pussycat? (Birmingham Rep) and RENT (Hope Mill Theatre).
Nicolas Colicos as Lance, Billy Nevers as Francois and Joe Foster as May
Nicholas' credits include Sister Act (London Palladium), THe Producers (Theatre Royal Drury Lane) and Mamma Mia! (Prince Edward Theatre).
Billy was in the original ensemble of & Juliet and returns to the role of Francois. His other credits include Legally Blonde (Regent's Park Open Air Theatre) and Jesus Christ Superstar (Regent's Park, Barbican).
Joe's credits include Legally Blonde (Regent's Park Open Air Theatre), Hex (National Theatre) and RENT (Hope Mill Theatre).
The & Juliet ensemble includes Ebony Clarke, Bessy Ewa, Collette Guitart, Cassandra Lee, Nathan Louis-Fernand, Zara MacIntosh, Carl Man, Christian Maynard, Rachel Moran, Owen Saward, Aaron Shales, Benjamin Terry and Suki Wong, who join Ivan De Freitas, Rhian Duncan, Alex Tranter, Sophie Usher and Rhys Wilkinson.
Has & Juliet won any awards?
& Juliet was nominated for 9 Olivier Awards, the show won Best Actress in a musical (Miriam-Teak Lee), Best Actor in a Supporting Role in a Musical (David Bedella) and Best Actress in a Supporting Role in a Musical (Cassidy Janson). The musical also won the Mousetrap Award for spectacular set.
Is & Juliet going on a UK tour?
Yes & Juliet will soon be hitting the road and heading on tour across the UK! Details for the tour including dates, venues and casting are yet to be announced.
Where is & Juliet in London?
& Juliet's London home is the Shaftesbury Theatre, which is located at 210 Shaftesbury Avenue. The theatre is a short walk from Tottenham Court Road station (Central and Northern lines) and Holborn station (Central and Piccadilly lines).
How to get tickets for & Juliet
Tickets for & Juliet are available by calling the Box Office on 020 7379 5399 or by booking online.
Will there be social distancing?
& Juliet will be open at full capacity meaning there may be other audience members in front, behind or beside you.
Do I need to prove my COVID status?
The Shaftesbury Theatre have removed the need to show your COVID status.
Read our full guide on West End COVID entry requirements.
Read the Shaftesbury Theatre's safety measures.
WATCH: & Juliet official trailer
Check out our favourite jukebox musicals:
& Juliet
One of the newer entries to the jukebox musical list is & Juliet, which imagines what would have happened if Shakespeare's famous character hadn't died at the end of his play and what would come next. The show is packed with the music of producer and songwriter Max Martin who's behind the hits of some of the biggest pop artists including Britney Spears, Bon Jovi, Katy Perry, Ariana Grande and the Backstreet Boys.
The musical includes songs such as 'Baby One More Time', 'It's My Life' 'Everybody (Backstreet's Back)' and a brilliant mash up of 'Teenage Dream' and 'Break Free'.
Bat Out of Hell: The Musical
Based on Jim Steinman and Meat Loaf's Bat Out of Hell album trilogy, Bat Out of Hell: The Musical is not a spectacle to be missed! The story is loosely based on the story of Peter Pan but set in a post-apocalyptic Manhattan which is now ruled by tyrannical ruler called Obsidian.
The show's score includes many fan favourites such as 'Bat Out of Hell', 'You Took the Words Right Out of My Mouth (Hot Summer Night)', 'It's All Coming Back to Me Now', and 'I'd Do Anything for Love (But I Won't Do That)'.
Beautiful: The Carole King Musical
This musical is exactly what you'd expect from the title, Beautiful: The Carole King Musical tells the story of the singer and songwriter, Carole King.
The musical is packed with music written by Carole and those she worked with. Some of the songs included are 'Take Good Care of My Baby', 'Will You Love Me Tomorrow', '(You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman', and 'I Feel the Earth Move'.
Jersey Boys
When you think about jukebox musicals there's no doubt that Jersey Boys would come to mind! Since it opened on Broadway back in 2005 Jersey Boys has become a global sensation! The musical stays close to its source material as the plot revolves around the history of The Four Seasons (AKA Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons).
Using the seasons as a story telling device the musical gives each band member their chance to narrate the story. The musical includes some of The Four Seasons' most famous songs including 'Sherry', 'Big Girls Don't Cry', 'December 1963 (Oh What a Night)', and 'Can't Take My Eyes Off You'.
Mamma Mia!
It's fair to argue that Mamma Mia is probably one of if not the most successful jukebox musicals of all time. Featuring the music of the Eurovision-winning band ABBA, Mamma Mia takes us to a Greek Island where 20-year-old Sophie is set to marry her fiancée. Sophie wants to invite her father to the wedding however she doesn't know who he could be. After finding her mother's diary she finds out there are three possible contenders and decides to invite them all to the wedding!
The West End production opened back in 1999 and includes so many of ABBA's greatest hits including 'Take a Chance on Me', 'Dancing Queen', and 'Voulez-Vous' to name a few. A film adaptation was released in 2008 with an A-list cast including Meryl Streep, Colin Firth, Pierce Brosnan, and Julie Walters. The film was a huge success and got its own sequel – Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again 10 years later which starred Cher!
Moulin Rouge!
Originally made as a musical film, Baz Luhrman's Moulin Rouge! has been adapted as a stage show with new additions to its phenomenal score. Set in Paris' iconic venue Moulin Rouge is a story of love set in a surreal world with high camp mash ups!
After success on Broadway the show has now entertaining UK audiences in London's West End!
Priscilla Queen of the Desert
This musical has become a classic musical beloved by the LGBT+ community, based on the 1994 film of the same name, Priscilla Queen of the Desert takes us on a road trip across Australia as three drag queens travel to a perform in a show.
Despite being a fun and whacky adventure with some queer anthems such as 'Don't Leave Me This Way' , 'Go West' and 'MacArthur Park', Priscilla is unafraid to take on the tough realities of the homophobia and transphobia still suffered by the LGBT+ community.
Return to the Forbidden Planet
Probably one of the lesser-known musicals on this list, Return to the Forbidden Planet is a gem of a silly-but-fun musical. With a plot based on Shakespeare's The Tempest and the 1956 sci-fi film Forbidden Planet this musical plays wonderful homage to classic science fiction. The musical is packed with the rock 'n' roll hits of the 1950s and 60s such as 'Great Balls of Fire', 'Good Vibrations', 'Teenager in Love', and 'Shake, Rattle and Roll'.
Rock of Ages
Rock of Ages takes us back to 1987 where the Bourbon Room, a Hollywood bar is under threat by developers who want to clean up the Sunset Strip's reputation for 'sex, drugs and rock-n-roll'! The show is filled with classic rock anthems such as 'Don't Stop Believin', 'We Built This City', and 'Here I Go Again'.
The musical was adapted into a film in 2012 which included a star-studded cast including Tom Cruise, Alec Baldwin, Catherine Zeta-Jones, and Mary J. Blige!
TINA: The Tina Turner Musical
Based on the life of the legendary singer, TINA: The Tina Turner musical explores her humble beginnings in town in Tennessee to growing into a global superstar. The show is packed with some iconic hits such as 'River Deep Mountain High' and 'Proud Mary'.
We Will Rock You
Does anyone else miss the statue of Freddie Mercury that used to stand at the front of the Dominion Theatre? The statue was a prominent fixture of the theatre throughout We Will Rock You's 12-year West End run. With the incredible music of Queen, We Will Rock You took us to a dystopian future where all non-computer generated music is banned and all instruments have been locked away!
The show is jam packed with brilliant characters and amazing Queen songs including 'Radio Gaga' (with some updated lyrics), 'Somebody to Love', 'Killer Queen' 'Under Pressure', and 'Seven Seas of Rye'.
Read more:
Six the musical: get the lowdown on the Queens rocking the West End
Mamma Mia!: Be in the know about ABBA's West End hit musical