& Juliet
Shakespeare's Juliet rewritten with a pop soundtrack — a jukebox musical built on Max Martin hits at the Shaftesbury Theatre
Shakespeare's Juliet rewritten with a pop soundtrack — a jukebox musical built on Max Martin hits at the Shaftesbury Theatre
What happens if Juliet does not end her life for Romeo? In this Olivier Award-winning jukebox musical, Shakespeare's wife Anne Hathaway rewrites the ending, sending Juliet to Paris with a pop soundtrack of over 30 Max Martin hits including ...Baby One More Time, Roar and I Want It That Way.
& Juliet opened at the Shaftesbury Theatre in November 2019 and became one of the West End's most celebrated new musicals, winning three Olivier Awards and six WhatsOnStage Awards. The show blends comedy, romance and identity with a playlist that spans three decades of chart-topping pop.
& Juliet is a jukebox musical with a book by David West Read and a score built entirely from the back catalogue of Max Martin, the Swedish songwriter behind decades of pop hits for artists including Britney Spears, the Backstreet Boys, NSYNC, Katy Perry, Ariana Grande, Kelly Clarkson and The Weeknd. The premise is deceptively simple: what if Shakespeare's wife Anne Hathaway persuaded him to rewrite the ending of Romeo and Juliet so that Juliet lives?
Rather than taking her own life, Juliet gathers her Nurse, her friends and a new sense of purpose, and heads to Paris to discover who she is beyond Romeo. The show unfolds as a tug-of-war between Anne and William, with Anne pushing for female empowerment and modern ideas while Shakespeare keeps trying to steer the plot back towards tragedy. The result is a meta-theatrical comedy that is genuinely funny, frequently moving and packed with songs the audience already knows.
The score includes ...Baby One More Time, Since U Been Gone, I Want It That Way, Roar, Can't Stop the Feeling, Larger Than Life and Teenage Dream, among many others. Each song is recontextualised to fit the narrative, turning pop anthems into character-driven moments. Musical supervisor Bill Sherman's arrangements give the songs a theatrical weight they would not have in a simple medley.
The Shaftesbury Theatre opened in 1911, designed by Bertie Crewe, and sits at the eastern end of the avenue that shares its name. With a capacity of approximately 1,400 across four levels, it is one of the West End's larger houses, yet the auditorium retains an Edwardian warmth with ornate plasterwork and a deep red colour scheme. The size suits & Juliet's energy — the show needs room for its cast of twenty to execute Jennifer Weber's choreography, which mixes hip-hop, voguing and commercial dance with a precision that earned widespread critical praise.
Soutra Gilmour's set design is deliberately contemporary, using vivid colour, geometric shapes and LED panels to create a world that feels closer to a pop concert than a period drama. Paloma Young's costumes follow suit, dressing the characters in modern streetwear and club fashion rather than Elizabethan ruffs. The lighting design by Howard Hudson shifts between intimate ballad moments and full-stage spectacle, with the finale sending confetti across the auditorium.
Tickets are available through the Shaftesbury Theatre box office, official ticketing partners and major platforms including TodayTix and LondonTheatreDirect. Prices start from around £25 in the gallery and rise to over £175 for premium stalls on peak nights. The dress circle offers a strong balance of price and sightline, with rows A to D providing an elevated view of the full stage. Weekday performances and Wednesday matinees tend to be the best value.
The Shaftesbury Theatre sits at the Covent Garden end of Shaftesbury Avenue, a short walk from both Tottenham Court Road and Holborn stations. The surrounding streets offer plenty of pre-show dining — Covent Garden's restaurants are five minutes south, and the cafes and bistros of Bloomsbury are equally close to the north. Neal's Yard and Seven Dials are a ten-minute walk west, while the British Museum is ten minutes north along Museum Street.
Prices vary by performance date — weekday evenings and matinees are generally cheaper than Friday and Saturday nights
The dress circle combines good sightlines with lower prices than the stalls. Rows A to D offer an unobstructed elevated view of the full stage and choreography.
Half the fun is recognising Max Martin hits in unexpected contexts. Listen to the cast recording or a Max Martin playlist beforehand to get the most from the score.
Wednesday afternoon performances are typically the cheapest and least crowded. You get the same full production at a fraction of the weekend price.
Covent Garden is a five-minute walk south from the theatre. Dozens of restaurants serve quick pre-show meals — aim to eat by 6:30pm for a 7:30pm curtain.
The box office occasionally releases a limited number of discounted tickets on the day of performance. Check the official website or visit the box office from 10am.
London Travel Writer · 12+ years covering UK attractions and tourism
Last reviewed: March 10, 2026
