What If She Didn't Die? The West End Hit That's Rewriting History
- Liane Morris
- 2 hours ago
- 7 min read
When & Juliet arrives at Newcastle’s Civic Theatre this June, it brings with it the glittering credentials of a global phenomenon. Since its 2019 premiere, this irreverent reimagining of Shakespeare's most famous tragedy has conquered the West End, Broadway, and stages across the globe, winning three Olivier Awards and earning nine Tony nominations along the way.
The premise of & Juliet is deceptively simple: what if Juliet didn’t die?
Instead of tragedy, the story offers possibility, giving Shakespeare’s heroine the chance to choose her own future. It’s a clever twist, but also a meaningful one, reframing a centuriesold narrative through a contemporary lens of independence and self-determination.
“It completely reimagines a story we all think we know and flips it into something modern, empowering, and incredibly entertaining,” says Associate Producer Hayley Stoddart.
Stoddart first encountered the show in London’s West End in 2022 on what she describes as “a date with myself.”
“By the end of the night, I was dancing with a perfect stranger,” she says. “It showed me the true meaning of a collective experience.”
That sense of shared joy, of theatre as something you feel together rather than watch, is exactly what The Very Popular Theatre Company is aiming to recreate for Newcastle audiences.
Powering that story is a soundtrack of global pop hits, songs made famous by artists including Britney Spears, Backstreet Boys, Katy Perry and Kelly Clarkson. But unlike many jukebox musicals, & Juliet wasn’t built around nostalgia alone.
The concept originated with Swedish superproducer Max Martin, whose catalogue of chart-topping hits spans decades. Rather than focusing on a single artist, the creative team set out to craft an original story that could draw from the full emotional range of his music.
To shape that vision, Emmy Award-winning writer David West Read, who is best known for his work on Schitt’s Creek, was brought in to develop the book. As he worked through Martin’s songs, he found recurring themes of love, heartbreak, resilience and reinvention. The answer, it turned out, was hiding in plain sight.
“It’s bold, it’s funny, and it’s packed with music people genuinely know and love.”
By flipping the ending of Romeo and Juliet and introducing a meta-theatrical device in which William Shakespeare and his wife, Anne Hathaway, rewrite the story in real time, Read created a musical that is as self-aware as it is entertaining, balancing humour, romance and emotional depth with a distinctly modern voice.
“It’s bold, it’s funny, and it’s packed with music people genuinely know and love,” Stoddart says. “You don’t have to convince people to lean in, they’re already there.”
That immediacy, combined with a story that feels both familiar and fresh, has helped the show reach audiences well beyond traditional theatre circles.
“It absolutely feels like a concert. That’s part of what makes it so exciting.”
For The Very Popular Theatre Company, bringing & Juliet to Newcastle is a natural extension of its mission.
“For us, it’s about bringing world-class productions to regional audiences. You don’t have to be in a capital city to experience theatre at the highest level.”
It’s a philosophy the company has been steadily building on, with previous productions including Mamma Mia!, Billy Elliot, Mary Poppins and Jersey Boys, each raising the bar in terms of scale and ambition. Of course, mounting a production of this size comes with its challenges.
“There are so many moving parts. From the set to the crew coordination, it takes a lot of people to make it happen. But that’s also what makes it exciting. It’s about bringing all those elements together to create something really special.”
Her role as Associate Producer spans both creative and logistical worlds, overseeing everything from casting and scheduling through to ensuring the final production meets the company’s high standards. At the heart of the production is a cast that blends local performers with national experience, many of whom share longstanding connections to Newcastle’s creative community.
Leading the company as Juliet is Anaiya Mahony, whose journey began with Hunter Drama as a teenager.
“I started when I was in Year 7,” she says. “And I stayed there for six years. It’s where I made some of my best friends and where I really learned what it means to be professional.”
That early training laid the groundwork for her later studies at the National Institute of Dramatic Art (NIDA), and for a career that now spans both musical theatre and her work as a singer-songwriter. Recent performances include Nine for NIDA, directed by Dean Drieberg, Girls Like That for The Very Popular Theatre Company and Songs for a New World at Qtopia Sydney.
“I used to think I had to choose between musical theatre and being a singer-songwriter. But I’ve found a balance, and that’s been really exciting.”
It’s a balance that makes her ideally suited to & Juliet, a show that sits at the intersection of pop music and theatre.
“Vocally, it’s such a great mix, and I love that this version of Juliet feels so relevant. She doesn’t have to choose between love and herself; she gets both.”
The wider cast brings a similarly rich mix of experience, with performers drawn from across the region and beyond. Rachel Parish takes on the role of Anne Hathaway, Shakespeare's wife and the character who champions Juliet's right to a different ending. Parish's recent credits include Scaramouche in We Will Rock You and Fantine in Les Misérables.
The role of William Shakespeare, Juliet's original creator, now forced to watch his heroine rebel against the fate he wrote for her, goes to Marty Worrall. A well-known local performer and vocal coach, Worrall served as backing vocalist and vocal coach for the first six seasons of Nine's The Voice Australia.
Musical theatre performer Bree Bennett, whose CONDA Award for Excellence recognised her standout performance as Veronica Sawyer in Heathers, plays the witty maternal nurse Angélique. Jules Hawson, a NIDA graduate, portrays May, while seasoned performer Danny Folpp, recently seen in Newcastle's Mamma Mia!, takes on Lance.
Will Sanson, who performed for nine years in the Hunter's STARSTRUCK as a dancer, choir member, and actor, plays shy Frenchman François. And the iconic role of Romeo goes to Tyler Chapman, who brings both stage and screen experience to the production. Beyond his theatre credits, Chapman recently appeared on Season 10 of Australian Idol (2025) and toured Europe and the UK with Australian pop artist BEKS as dancer, backing vocalist, and choreographer.
The principal cast is supported by a dynamic ensemble of more than twenty performers, including an exceptional pool of dancers drawn from across the region.
“It’s been amazing walking into the rehearsal room,” Mahony says. “Everyone is so talented and so generous.”
Director Lauren Harvey was drawn to the show not just for its spectacle, but for its message.
“I first fell for the music and dance elements,” she says. “But then I fell in love with the idea that we can write, or rewrite, our own stories.”
That idea sits at the centre of her approach to the production.
“This is a story people think they know,” she says. “So the challenge is getting them to look past that and open themselves up to something new.”
Working alongside musical director Dan Wilson and choreographer Vanessa Ambrose, Harvey has built a creative team focused on energy, connection and storytelling.
“There’s an incredible vibe in the rehearsal room,” she says. “The cast is having so much fun, and that energy will absolutely translate to the audience.”
The audition process itself reflected the demands of the show, requiring performers who could balance strong vocals, dance ability and emotional authenticity.
“We had an open call back where we swapped performers in and out to find the ultimate pairings. The whole audition process had a wonderful, supportive environment and gave the creative team a sense of the fun, energetic cast we were about to immerse ourselves in.
“These characters are larger than life. But they also need a realness that makes the audience feel connected to them.”
The result, she says, is a production that feels both polished and deeply human.
“It’s a nostalgic musical party, but there’s real heart underneath it.”
Rehearsals have been moving at speed, with the company already deep into the show. But despite the pace, there’s a strong sense of camaraderie within the cast.
“One of my best friends from NIDA is in the show,” says Mahony. “So that’s been really special.”
At its heart, the show is about identity, independence and the courage to rewrite your own story. It also naturally embraces inclusivity, with LGBTQI+ representation woven into the story and characters who challenge traditional roles and expectations. Critics and audiences consistently describe it as joyful, uplifting, and celebratory.
“I love the glitter,” Mahony says with a laugh. “But the heart of this show is so big. The challenge is making sure that truth and vulnerability come through.”
For Stoddart, those themes resonate both on and off stage.
“I’m very proud to be a woman building a career in this industry,” she says. “Being part of a female-led creative team, telling a story about independence and rewriting the rules feels incredibly aligned.”
It’s also part of what makes the show feel so contemporary.
“There’s something really powerful about it,” she says. “Audiences connect to that sense of possibility.”
When & Juliet opens at the Civic Theatre, audiences can expect more than just a night at the theatre.
“Audiences will laugh, they’ll cry, and they’ll hear songs they know and love,” says Mahony. “It’s engaging, heartfelt, and so much fun.”
And if Stoddart’s experience in London is anything to go by, they may find themselves part of something bigger than they expected. “It’s that collective experience,” she says. “That moment where everyone is in it together.”
This June, & Juliet arrives in Newcastle not just as a global success story, but as a production shaped by local talent, creative ambition and a shared love of storytelling.
It’s bold, it’s joyful, and it’s ready to rewrite the ending one audience at a time.
& Juliet plays at Civic Theatre Newcastle from 19-28 June 2026.
