The Notebook, Notting Hill, Pride and Prejudice… all our favourite romance tales can be traced back to the original love story, Romeo and Juliet.

Well, it might not be the first love story ever told, but it’s certainly one of the greatest. Shakespeare’s timeless tragedy has been reimagined and retold by countless performers, with one of the most popular iterations being the feel-good musical & Juliet.

The jukebox musical, featuring pop songs by hit-maker Max Martin, is currently on its first UK tour after its multi-award-winning run on the West End.

It might be set in the world of The Bard’s 16th Century play, but the two star-crossed lovers have been given a trendy new wardrobe, a sexy soundtrack and an exciting story that takes them from fair Verona to the streets of Paris.

Fans of classic Shakespearian works will find some familiar moments - the playwright and his wife, Anne, make an appearance and there are plenty of quotes from the famous script - but this show is a far cry from the Romeo and Juliet we remember from our GCSEs.

The musical starts at the fatal moment when a devastated Romeo has (spoiler alert) downed a bottle of poison after finding his lover, Juliet, apparently dead.

When Juliet wakes and finds her husband (of three days) has died, she is heartbroken - until she learns that he was, in fact, a bit of a playboy. She sets off on an adventure to Paris to forget all about Romeo with the help of her best friends May and April and her nurse, Angelique.

The play is often interrupted by William Shakespeare and his wife, Anne Hathaway, as they work together to write a new script and create a new ending for Juliet.

It’s a unique concept, with lots of fourth-wall-breaking and tongue-in-cheek moments that undoubtedly come from the mind of David West Read, the writer and executive producer of Emmy Award-winning comedy Schitt’s Creek, who wrote the book for the musical.

There are real, actual jokes, not just hammed-up laughs, peppered throughout, from the ‘simping’ Romeo to the sassy Anne, and it all gets funnier as the show progresses.

The coming-of-age story unfolds against the backdrop of huge chart anthems such as Britney’s Baby One More Time, Backstreet Boys’ I Want It That Way and Katy Perry’s I Kissed a Girl.

The vivid pink and purple lights, captivating visual effects, aerial set pieces and smart, sharp choreography makes it feel more like a pop concert than a theatre production at times, leaning heavily into the music’s influence on the show.

There are some familiar faces, including X Factor winner Matt Cardle as Shakespeare and former Strictly star Ranj Singh (who made the audience laugh almost every time he stepped on the stage), but they gel well with the rest of the experienced cast.

A special shout-out goes to the leading lady, Gerardine Sacdalan, whose credits suggest she is fairly early on in her musical theatre career. Her voice was fantastic and she brought just the right amount of heart and cheekiness to the character, and I can’t wait to see her perform again in the future.

I went into the show expecting a fun twist on a classic love story with a few toe-tapping songs thrown into the mix; what I saw was a brilliantly vibrant new concept with a killer soundtrack that impressed beyond expectations.

As the audience applauded and the curtain went down, I couldn’t help but think to myself: parting is such sweet sorrow…

& Juliet is at the Marlowe Theatre in Canterbury until Saturday, October 19. You can book tickets online here.

You can also book tickets by calling 01227 787787.