Broadway producers hail & Juliet lead Lorinda May Merrypor as superstar in the making
Broadway and West End producers say a little-known actor who landed the lead in & Juliet is about to “rocket into the stratosphere” and have her life changed forever.
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A blockbuster show about a young woman finding her own voice has uncovered another layer: the extraordinary star power of musical theatre newcomer Lorinda May Merrypor.
Merrypor was a little known performer, with a few regional theatre credits to her name, before Broadway, West End and Australian producers cast her as the leading lady in & Juliet.
& Juliet, a clever reimagining of William Shakespeare’s doomed love story, Romeo and Juliet, written by Schitt’s Creek creator David West Read, with songs by pop king Max Martin, opened at the Regent Theatre on Thursday.
There, in her first show as a headliner, Merrypor commanded every scene, and song, with mastery and measure, spark and spirit.
From her mournful take on Baby One More Time, which erupted into a category five power ballad, to sure-fire showstoppers Blow and Problem, and the empowerment anthem Roar, Merrypor is a thrilling discovery.
The opening night crowd thought so, too, and gave her a standing ovation during the show.
The feel-good musical rethinks Juliet as a survivor after Romeo’s demise, and explores themes of new beginnings, identity and acceptance.
Merrypor’s wide-eyed, naive Juliet was nicely nuanced, and her youthful banter, expressions and asides, funny and fresh. Her evolution to independent woman was amplified with the self-assured Stronger.
“She doesn’t quite realise how talented she is, but we can see it,” Luke Sheppard, the show’s director in London, New York and Melbourne, told the Herald Sun.
“She also has no idea of the great things that are about to come to her. We are not only witnessing Juliet find her power through Lorinda, but we are seeing a star in the making.
We are witnessing a little bit of history is being made.”
The show’s Australian producer Michael Cassel agreed. “Lorinda’s life is about to change in a major way,” Cassel told the Herald Sun. “She’s about to rocket into the stratosphere.”
Merrypor, 26, a Kuungkari and South Sea Islander woman, performs 20 of the show’s 30 songs. But she’s not phased. “I’ve been training for this my whole life,” Merrypor told the Herald Sun. “Juliet and I found each other at the exact time I needed her.”
The cast — Casey Donovan (Angelique), Amy Lehpamer (Anne), Rob Mills (Will), Hayden Tee (Lance), Blake Appelqvist (Romeo), Jesse Dutlow (May), and Yasith Fernando (Francois) — is flawless.
However, to go into deeper detail about characters and various relationships in the piece would invite spoilers. Every audience deserves to be enraptured by & Juliet’s many delights, twists and turns.
In truth, all of the characters are on journeys of self-discovery and second chances.
Mills and Lehpamer are perfect as Mr and Mrs Shakespeare, a couple who end up projecting their problems on stage for all to see. Donovan and Tee’s powerhouse voices collide in a riotous duet. And Appelqvist’s terrific turn as a charismatic ‘himbo’ just might break your heart in the bittersweet One More Try.
Lehpamer’s version of That’s The Way It Is, which builds to a heart-stopping crescendo, was a standout, and equally so, Donovan’s emotional punch on F---ing Perfect. On Thursday night, Casey’s performance of the song brought Merrypor to tears.
Merrypor wasn’t the only newcomer on stage. Dutlow and Fernando made impressive debuts as vulnerable characters searching for their authentic selves.
Read’s sharp writing and Martin’s pop gems are in sly synchronicity in & Juliet. Some songs, like Baby One More Time and I’m Not A Girl, Not Yet A Woman, are given brilliant new contexts. And the way Read lands Since U Been Gone and Oops I Did It Again amid the conflict and chaos is absolute genius.
Where for art thou, Romeo?
Shakespeare’s famous star-crossed lover is at the Regent Theatre in a joyously pop-tastic show about life and love and starting over. However — spoiler alert — he’s the support act for an unstoppable dynamo named Juliet.
Meanwhile, celebrities turned out for & Juliet’s opening night celebrations at Collins St. Invited VIP guests included Max Martin, Natalie Bassingthwaighte, Patti Newton, Eddie Perfect, Tottie Goldsmith, Lyndon Watts, Andreja Pejic, Lisa Millar, and Michala Banas.
Former Foreign Affairs Minister Julie Bishop, Melbourne’s Lord Mayor Sally Capp, and Victoria’s Governor Linda Dessau also attended the show.
Showbiz queen Newton said: “I didn’t have time to study Shakespeare. I left school at 14 and a half.”
“I studied a lot of Shakespeare at school — Romeo and Juliet, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, and Twelfth Night,” former Foreign Affairs Minister Bishop said. “Romeo and Juliet was my favourite because it’s so utterly romantic.”
Actor Watts, who finished his two-year run as Aaron Burr in Hamilton in January said: “There’s a music in Shakespeare’s language that hits in a certain way. When you speak it, there’s a rhythm, beauty and humanity in the writing.”
Martin, Sheppard, and the show’s choreographer Jennifer Weber appeared on stage after the finale.
London-based director Sheppard said the Australian cast had “taken our vision and delivered it in the most extraordinary way.”
He added: “I have one more thank you, which is to Melbourne. I don’t want to leave. Thank you for welcoming us with open arms.”
Martin’s message was succinct: “Thank you for coming, thank you Melbourne, let’s f---ing party!”
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