First love in fair Verona
Wed 18 September 2024 is National First Love Day – a time to celebrate everything that helps us to feel and show love! And beyond Juliet and her Romeo in & Juliet, another love story unfolds. We sat down with Matt Cardle (Shakespeare) and Lara Denning (Anne Hathaway) to talk about the show and their on-stage love story.
Written by Guest Author
Shaking up a classic
For people who think they know Romeo & Juliet, how does the show shake things up?
Lara: It’s not the Romeo and Juliet that we all know. My character Anne Hathaway, who’s married to William Shakespeare, asks William to change the ending of the play. She wants Juliet to live on and so with some coercing the ending gets changed and then we see what would happen to Juliet if she got on with her life without Romeo.
And then the fun starts! The show is a lot of fun but also has a huge heart to it.
Shakespeare and Anne leading the charge. Credit: Matt Crockett.
Matt: It turns Romeo and Juliet inside out and completely on its head. You wouldn’t normally dare do that kind of thing to Shakespeare but they’ve got the story so right. It makes for a completely different, completely unexpected show. I don’t think anyone who hasn’t seen it already will expect anything like this. It’s just complete joy.
How do Shakespeare and Anne feature in the narrative?
Lara: We’re writing the play together as it goes along, so therefore we then start to see the characters through Anne and William’s eyes as they both bring different things to the mix and the whole Romeo and Juliet narrative is completely changed. We’re sort of puppeteering them, I guess, through writing the script together. Anne is so excited to work with her husband. She has a deep love for him and wants so desperately to connect with him and his work.
Lara: Anne is keen on the message that love is love and she’s got the modern take, whereas Shakespeare is still on a sort of misogynistic tip – not that he doesn’t believe in the same things but because he’s still stuck in that era in his mind. He’s very much a man of his time.
You’re playing well-known characters but how would you describe them as depicted in the show?
Matt: I would describe Shakespeare in the play as probably about 75% as rock-and-roll as he thinks he is and also about 75% as in-control as he thinks he is. He really enjoys the challenge Anne presents to him but he’s always desperate to regain control. He thinks he’s a rock star and he thinks he’s the absolute b******s but he’s not quite there on either front. He’s so much fun to play and the other thing I like about the role is that I get to cross the fourth wall a lot and have that interaction with the audience.
Matt Cardle as Shakespeare, brooding as ever. Credit: Matt Crockett.
Lara Deering as Anne Hathaway, writing up a storm. Credit: Matt Crockett.
Lara: Anne is a woman who’s been living in the country looking after the kids and now she has the chance to see how Shakespeare writes his plays. She’s working with him, she has some input and she is over the moon. She gets this opportunity to write with him and explore an independent side of herself that she’s kept suppressed for quite a long time. She’s a strong, independent, funny, warm, kind and loving wife, and a really fun person to be around.
How is it working together?
Matt: Lara is absolutely amazing and I feel incredibly lucky to be playing opposite her. She can make me laugh with just one look, so it’s going to be interesting going forward to see if I can keep a straight face. Her voice is incredible and her acting is phenomenal, so I really have to bring my A-game.
Lara: Working with Matt is an absolute dream. We’ve got the same giddy energy, so it’s lovely. As soon as we met we instantly knew that we were going to work really, really well together. His instincts are brilliant and we play a really lovely game of acting tennis. I’ve had lots of ‘show husbands’ and he’s a favourite already.
Neither of you are strangers to musical theatre but what hooked you in about & Juliet?
Matt: I’d heard so many amazing things about it, then I read it and was blown about by how brilliant, clever and funny it was. And getting to play someone as iconic as William Shakespeare was something I just couldn’t say no to.
Lara: I’ve worked with the director Luke Sheppard before and he’s fantastic. Then when I read the script I loved how the story has been modernised and flipped on its head. It’s a really cool piece of theatre and it’s a really cool musical, and then to have all this fantastic Max Martin music in it is the icing on the cake. I fell in love with the script and the story, the fact that it’s for all ages and that it’s got a huge heart to it.
Soundtrack of pop anthems
What makes Max Martin’s music so special?
Lara: He has this incredible way of invoking something in you when you hear his music. You want to dance, you want to cry, you want to sing your heart out, every song is an earworm, and the music is cleverly threaded into the story of & Juliet. These amazing songs aren’t just crowbarred in; they push the story forward and give you so much information about the characters, where they are at any given point and how they are feeling.
Matt: Max Martin’s music has influenced over three decades of pop culture, which makes it special to so many people the world over. And because he has had so many hits it’s been possible to choose songs that really tell the story of & Juliet, as there is a song for every sentiment.
Max Martin's back, alright! Credit: Phil Tragen.
Given the fantastic pop score, do you have a favourite number to perform in it?
Matt: For me, Everybody (Backstreet’s Back) is an absolute classic. There’s a moment with Shakespeare, Romeo, Francois, Lance and May where we put a boyband together and we do that song with the full dance routine. To say it’s a guilty pleasure is an understatement. It’s something I never thought I would do and something I’d never thought I’d enjoy doing either but I’m loving it. It’s very different to the kind of music I normally make but that’s what’s so fun about it.
Lara: I love That’s the Way It Is, which is a moment for Anne to reflect on everything. Her relationship with Juliet is such a gorgeous one and Gerardine Sacdalan, who plays her, is a superstar in the making. She’s only just graduated from drama school and she’s incredible. We get to sing the song together in the show and I love how it explores their friendship. They are both each others’ counsellors and they have a beautiful sisterhood.
How does the story speak to contemporary audiences?
Lara: It’s a modern story about second chances, using pop songs that we all know and love. Juliet, Anne and Angélique are all about female empowerment and there’s a real sense of family and friendship. Together with May (Juliet’s best friend) they discover themselves. In fact everyone does. The costumes, sets and music of Max Martin all make it contemporary. The show celebrates diversity, equality, love and friendship. We all need that today.
Matt: I don’t think this could be more on-the-pulse of the way things are in today’s society. There’s still a lot more progression to be had in many senses but it’s really at the cutting edge of how we have come on from those times and indeed from much more recent times in terms of equality and diversity. It speaks to everyone and to the direction that we’re trying to push things.
Matt and the ensemble are Larger than Life. Credit: Matt Crockett.
Get to know Lara and Matt
If you both had to pick a few career highlights, what would they be?
Matt: In terms of my music career, the fact that I’ll be releasing my fifth studio album The Great Escape in January 2025 and I have some top ten albums and some Number 1 singles behind me, means I’ve had the most incredible journey so far! I’m so appreciative of the opportunities that have come my way. The music industry is tough, so still being in it 14 years after I got my break on The X Factor is a real personal achievement. Theatre-wise, just before the pandemic I was in Jesus Christ Superstar at the Barbican, playing Pilate, and it was a completely different role for me – very intense, very dark and very serious. I loved it! I’ve also been incredibly lucky with the roles I’d had, like Huey in Memphis – I’d love that show to return – and Wally in Strictly Ballroom.
Changing the ending of a classic takes a woman's touch. Credit: Matt Crockett.
Lara: My highlights would definitely include Miss Honey in Matilda. I played Mrs. Wormwood as well and I think I’m the only person to have played them both, which I’m really proud of. Touring the UK with Everybody’s Talking About Jamie was an amazing job for me and I’ve recently finished Sunset Boulevard with Nicole Scherzinger, director Jamie Lloyd and Lord Andrew Lloyd Webber, which was a huge highlight.
What do you especially enjoy about performing in musical theatre?
Lara: I love that musical theatre is more than words. I love it when you’ve got a really strong narrative and characters who feel the emotional impact of things – whether it’s happiness or sadness, comedy or tragedy – so much that they have to sing, because their overwhelming feeling is that they can’t speak anymore. When it’s done properly it truly impacts an audience and in this world that we’re living in at the moment we need some joy, happiness and laughter, don’t we?
Matt: It may sound strange but I like the pressure. When I’m on tour with my band, if we mess something up or something goes wrong it doesn’t really matter; it just makes the whole evening a bit more human and it’s only myself I have to answer to. But with theatre shows, it’s such a huge team and you don’t want to let anyone down. And I love how it feels like being part of a family. It’s the most lovely thing to get to spend so much time with all these lovely people. It’s a real blessing.
Lara Deering and Sandra Marvin in rehearsal feeling Confident. Credit: Danny Kaan.
Matt Cardle getting to Break Free on stage. Credit: Matt Crockett.
&J on tour
What are you looking forward to about taking & Juliet around the country?
Matt: When I’m on tour doing shows with my band, we go to Glasgow for a night, maybe two, and then we’ll be off to Manchester or Liverpool, whereas with & Juliet we’re doing a week in each place, which means you can get settled in and do some exploring.
Gerardine: Being on tour is a joy. I went on the road with Everybody’s Talking About Jamie a couple of years ago and the audiences regionally are just superb. When you go to regional theatres, they’re full of local people who love their theatres and go there to experience things together. It’s really exciting.
Soul sisters Juliet (Gerardine Sacdalan) and Anne Hathaway (Lara Denning). Credit: Matt Crockett.
Are there any stops on the tour that are dear to your heart?
Matt: Southampton is my hometown and I haven’t been back there, professionally speaking, since the first tour I did after The X Factor. I think the closest I’ve got to it was maybe Bournemouth Pavilion. To be doing theatre in the town I was born in will be lovely and I’ll get some friends and family to come along to that one.
Lara: Blackpool is my hometown so I am so excited to play there. I have friends and family coming and it’ll be really special for me. I’ve got friends from all over the country so I’ll be seeing them, which is lovely. My father’s from Scotland, so Glasgow is going to be really cool and Manchester is where & Juliet originally started, so being there is going to be a magical, full-circle moment for the show. But honestly, I’m excited about all the stops on the tour because you always get superb audiences regionally.
Leeds Heritage Theatres
Leeds Heritage Theatres is Leeds Grand Theatre, City Varieties Music Hall and Hyde Park Picture House. A registered charity, together we make a significant contribution to the Leeds arts and cultural landscape; providing heritage spaces for people to share experiences of live performances, screenings and events. To help us achieve our vision of advancing the arts in Leeds and inspiring the next generation to keep telling our stories, we rely on your generosity and thank you for your kind donation (which is fully invested in our buildings and projects).
