What if Juliet Capulet's story didn't end with Romeo?
What if, instead of tragedy, Juliet seized the chance to take control of her own future?
This is the premise of & Juliet, a bold, funny and uplifting retelling of Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet coming to Newcastle's Civic Theatre in June.
Premiering in London's West End in 2019, & Juliet has won three Olivier Awards, played to packed houses on Broadway, and continues to tour internationally.
Maitland singer and songwriter Anaiya Mahony plays the role of Juliet.
She's a former Hunter Drama and Hunter School of the Performing Arts student who last year completed a Diploma of Musical Theatre at the National Institute of Dramatic Art (NIDA).
Mahony is also a Talent Development Project graduate who has performed in Girls Like That (The Very Popular Theatre Company), Dot and the Kangaroo Jr and Songs for a New World at Qtopia Sydney.
Rachel Parish plays the role of Anne Hathaway alongside Bree Bennett (Angélique), Jules Hawson (May), Marty Worrall (William Shakespeare), Danny Folpp (Lance), Will Sanson (Francois) and Tyler Chapman (Romeo).
Directed by theatre creator Lauren Harvey, The Very Popular Theatre Company production features musical direction by Dan Wilson, choreography by Vanessa Ambrose, and a soundtrack full of pop hits including Since U Been Gone, Roar, Baby One More Time and Larger Than Life.
"& Juliet is a bold, joyful celebration of second chances, independence and unapologetic female empowerment," says associate producer Hayley Stoddart.
"What makes this show so special is the way it takes a story we all think we know and turns it on its head, giving Juliet the freedom to choose her own path and write her own ending.
"There's something incredibly powerful in that, and audiences really connect with it.
"Set against a soundtrack of some of the biggest pop anthems of the last 30 years, the show is vibrant, funny and full of energy, but it also carries real heart.
"It's not just a night of great music and big laughs, it's an experience that lifts you up."
For Mahony, & Juliet is an opportunity to combine her two passions: pop music and musical theatre.
"I've always done both, writing and performing my own original pop music and in shows, and it's always been a struggle trying to decide which one was more important, which one I should I dive deeper into," she says.
"This show allows me to do both.
"I also really love the character of Juliet and how she rewrites her story.
"She's saying 'This is me, this is my personality, this is what I like and this is what I don't like'.
"I find that female characters are often forced to choose between love and themselves, Juliet chooses both. She empowers herself.
"And it's a musical with a story but it's also like one of those crazy pop concerts with big dance numbers and lots of set changes."
Mahony started at Hunter Drama when she was in year 7, following in the footsteps of her older sister.
"When I saw her perform in Hunter Drama's Singing in the Rain I wanted to do the same, so I auditioned for Hunter School of the Performing Arts and started classes at Hunter Drama the same year," she says.
"I continued to train at Hunter Drama for another six years, and that it is where I made some of my best friends ... people who I still write, perform and laugh with now."
Mahony divides her time between Sydney and Maitland these days.
It just depends where the work is.
Her dream is to write her own musical.
"It's always so lovely to come home to my family and friends here, and every day the art scene in Newcastle is flourishing. I have loved being back for rehearsals," she says.
"Everyone in the cast is amazing. One of my best friends from NIDA, Jules, is also playing my best friend in the show.
"There's mostly locals in the production and it's been nice to reconnect with people I haven't seen for a while, and to see so much growth within the performers and companies here in Newcastle.
"To put on a huge scale production like this with directors and producers that have mentored me since I was 13 is pretty special."
And to do it at the Civic Theatre is the icing on the cake.
"You can perform anywhere in the world but the Civic still holds its own. It really does," Mahony says.
