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& Juliet's brilliant cast in full flight. Image - courtesy of APA

Genius is the only word to describe William Shakespeare... and the same goes for & Juliet.

This is an oh-so-clever musical of pure exhilarating joy that makes you laugh out loud when it isn’t tugging at your heartstrings, with a romp through some of the biggest pop anthems from legendary songwriter and producer Max Martin, who gave Britney Spears, Bon Jovi, Katy Perry and Backstreet Boys some of their megahits.

All of that ramped up with stunning sets, some of the best choreography to have graced the HMT stage for many a year, and effects ranging from pyros to a storm of glittering gold confetti blizzarding through the auditorium.

In short, & Juliet is a joyous, genuine West End theatrical experience right here in Aberdeen – one that rightly won three Olivier awards.

The premise is a lovely twist on the tale of the star-crossed lovers... what if Juliet (a fantastically feisty Gerardine Sacdalan) hadn’t killed herself but gone on to live out her life?

And we start that journey with Shakespeare’s missus, Anne Hathaway (a show-stealing turn from Lara Denning), persuading a reluctant William (The Wanted’s Jay McGuinness, proving he was built for musical theatre) let her rewrite Juliet’s stars.

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Larra Denning as Anne and Jay McGuinness as Shakespeare in the brilliant & Juliet, now at HMT. Image - courtesy of Aberdeen Performing Arts

What follows is the sort of yarn Shakespeare himself would have been proud of, what with gender-bending, disguises, mistaken identities and a huge, beating romantic heart that underpins the whole kit and kaboodle.

& Juliet’s book writer – David West Read – knows his Shakespeare, playing nicely with some of the classic tropes but also weaving the real-life story of Will and Anne into the piece. It’s as much about them as Romeo and Juliet. You’ll come away with a headful of facts about the Bard – along with a headful of tunes.

The music of & Juliet is also a love letter to another genius, Max Martin who has 27 number one songs to his name for the likes of Ariana Grande, Celine Dion, Bon Jovi, and Taylor Swift. The amazing range and size of his back catalogue makes Shakespeare look like a slouch.

And almost 30 of his sublime tunes form the soundtrack of & Juliet. In a clever touch, there’s a Wurlitzer in prime position on stage at the start and finale of the show - but & Juliet is no jukebox musical.

Every single song is there to drive the narrative along as an empowered Juliet steers her way through life and love to find her own happy-ever-after ending – not one written for her.

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The staging of & Juliet is a work of genius. Image - courtesy of Aberdeen Performing Arts

There are almost too many standout moments in the show to mention, beginning with Juliet finding Romeo is dead and breaking into ... Baby One More Time.

Two characters – Francois (Kyle Cox) and May (Jordan Broatch) – working out their conflicted sexuality to I Kissed A Girl is jubilant and uplifting.

Anne recounting her own romance with Shakespeare to Juliet opens into a duet that becomes an absolute powerhouse number that becomes a genuine showstopper as Lara Denning almost pulled the audience to their feet for a standing ovation.

Also in the mix was a lovely comedy-romance subplot with Lance (Steps star Lee Latchford-Evans) and Angelique (Sandra Marvin) that showcased a fantastic chemistry.

And Lee is the lynchpin in a hilarious boyband number that turned His Majesty’s into party central with a take on Everybody that was simply brilliant fun and had the the audience roaring.

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Lee Latchford-Evans and Sandra Marvin have wonderful chemistry in & Juliet. Image - courtesy of Aberdeen Performing Arts

Talking of brilliance, the choreography of & Juliet is spellbinding. The cast barely stood still and the huge ensemble numbers from the talented cast were a sheer delight.

In fact, there are so many delights and so many moments that have you either grinning from ear-to-ear, laughing out loud, wanting to get up and dance, or even have a wee pang of poignancy, that to list them all would take as long as the show itself.

There is a simple solution to that. Go and see & Juliet and discover one of the best musicals to come out of the West End. It’s genius.

& Juliet is at His Majesty’s Theatre until Saturday, February 8. For information and tickets visit here.

Review by Scott Begbie