The musical was written by David West Read, an Emmy-award winning writer and producer of Schitt’s Creek , plus imagines a scenario where Juliet doesn’t die at the end of the original play, and instead goes on the journey associated with self-discovery plus empowerment, liberated from the conservative norms of the time.
The real genesis of the particular production was the music of Max Martin, the prolific Swedish songwriter who has written or co-written 25 Billboard number one songs including … Baby One More Time by Britney Spears, I Kissed a Girl by Katy Perry and Pink’s Raise Your Glass.
Martin’s back catalogue makes up & Juliet’s soundtrack, with some of the particular world’s most iconic pop songs used to both skewer plus celebrate Shakespeare’s portrayal of Juliet and the story of the original play.
“I think …Baby Again is the one that I’m probably most excited for because of the particular way that will it fits into the story and the arrangement that they’ve done, ” Merrypor says. “It’s very dramatic. It’s almost like a ballad for Juliet. ”
Merrypor graduated from the Queensland Conservatorium in 2016, and most recently performed in a touring production of The particular Sapphires. & Juliet will be her debut lead role, plus she describes it as a “dream”.
“Every woman has this dream of being completely able to be herself in any circumstance and take control over the situations that she’s put within. So , it’s really exciting to get to tackle that. It is something that I’m working towards in my personal life, having that agency.
“I believe this show will be really inspirational in order to a lot of girls growing up”: Lorinda May Merrypor Credit: Eugene Hyland
“I feel like this is a role that I am going to bring the lot associated with myself in order to, it feels extremely close to home and even throughout the audition process, I had a Zoom with Luke Sheppard, the particular director, and he was very much telling me, ‘Sing it as yourself, we want to hear Lorinda’. It’s amazing to be able to bring so much of myself in order to a part. ”
“I met a wide range of folks, ” says Sheppard, who directed & Juliet on London’s West End, Toronto plus Broadway, as well as UK productions of Rent and In The Heights. “But from the moment Lorinda started singing … Baby One More Time I just remember going like, yeah, that’s it. ”
The casting associated with the & Juliet shows running in London and Broadway have been praised for their focus on diversity , but Sheppard states inclusivity on stage is a “constant journey” and the particular creative team aren’t the kind of people to pat themselves upon the back when it comes to representation. ”
“For me, it is just because simple since representing the particular world that we live within today – and that’s why I was particularly excited to work with Michael Cassel Group, because We know that’s something is incredibly important to them– and also [having] an understanding that inclusivity plus diversity does mean something different in each part of the world. ”
The casting of a good Indigenous woman as a lead in such high-profile production will be still rare in Australian theatre, and something Merrypor has been thinking about since joining the production.
“If I got in order to go and see an Native woman playing the guide in a musical We were watching as the teenager, yes, I would absolutely cry. Because that portrayal would mean so much to me.
“I think this display will be very inspirational to a lot of ladies growing up. Getting to have a role model like Juliet, who takes agency more than her own life and story, it’s very moving. ”
The particular author travelled to New York City to view the Broadway production associated with & Juliet. Flights plus accommodation were courtesy of the Michael Cassel Group.
& Juliet debuts in February 2023 at The Regent Theatre within Melbourne. Tickets are on sale now.
A cultural guide to going out and loving your city. Sign up to our Culture Fix newsletter here .
