Ahead of its opening on the West End later in the year, Manchester is set to welcome the very first run of shows for new musical, And Juliet.

The brand new show will run at the Manchester Opera House for four weeks from September 10.

The show presents an alternative ending to Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet, asking the question: what if Juliet’s famous ending was really just her beginning? What if she decided to choose her own fate?

A modern rewrite of the slightly problematic love story, the plot sees Juliet getting over Romeo by running off to Paris with Nurse and her best friends on a whirlwind trip of romance and self discovery.

Starring as Juliet in this new musical is Miriam-Teak Lee, who was awarded best actress in a music at the Stage Debut Awards for her role of Claire DeLoone in On the Town. She was also one of the stars of the original London cast of Hamilton.

The cast of & Juliet arrives in Manchester
(Image: Publicity Photo)

We hear from Miriam-Teak ahead of the opening of the show, about how she feels to be reinventing this famous role.

“It feels incredible to play such a strong character. I genuinely believe that Juliet has always had strength but that isn’t necessarily explored in depth in the original Romeo and Juliet, so it is amazing to be able to tell a story that puts a magnifying glass on Juliet’s inner power and journey to self discovery.

“It’s important that young girls have someone to look up to, to be influenced by, and I really feel that Juliet could really be the inspiration that they need.

“To know that they can do anything they put their mind to, that they can be in the driving seat of their own life and that there is no limit to their greatness.”

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The soundtrack is made up of the music of Max Martin and various collaborators, the acclaimed song-writer of some of the biggest pop anthems of the last 30 years.

The list of songs has something for all generations, from Bon Jovi’s It’s My Life, to Britney’s Baby One More Time, through to more recent tracks like Love Me Like You Do and I Can’t Feel My Face.

The music will be presented in new arrangements by Tony and Grammy award-winning orchestra Bill Sherman.

The cast of And Juliet in rehearsals
(Image: Publicity Photo)

Miriam-Teak recently performed at Manchester Pride, entertaining Sackville stage crowds with songs from the musical including Katy Perry’s Roar and Baby One More Time.

Talking of the music, she said: “With the public performances we have been doing recently, I have been performing Roar quite a lot and that is such a powerful moment in the show for Juliet.

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“I love performing that song because it is the pinnacle moment for Juliet in her search for self discovery. She literally realises in real time the kind of person she used to be, how she used to ‘bite her tongue and hold her breath’ constantly trying to please others, and this is a moment where she says I am going to do as I please and you are all going to watch me succeed.

“It’s such an empowering moment in the show and the audience will feel that too.”

Miriam-Teak Lee: “Manchester is the home of music … and we can’t wait for them to see it first”
(Image: Publicity Photo)

Directed by Luke Sheppard and written by David West Read, the musical will run in Manchester for four weeks before heading to the West End’s Shaftesbury Theatre.

It’s one of many shows that are choosing to premiere in Manchester before heading to the capital, so is the star looking forward to performing here?

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She said: “Manchester is the home of music, seeing so many great artists go there and perform there. I think Manchester will receive the show incredibly and we can’t wait for them to see it first!”

And what can Manchester audiences look forward to?

“They can expect to see a whole new outlook on Juliet Capulet, they can expect to have an incredible night, they can expect to laugh their socks off and go on a journey filled with all their favourite songs, sung in a completely different way with a whole new meaning.

“It’s a show not to be missed.”

 And Juliet the Musical is on at Manchester Opera House from September 10 to October 12, 2019.

Tickets are available now from: atgtickets.com .

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