First love in fair Verona

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.  

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.

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.

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.

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.