Keala Settle to make West End debut in ‘& Juliet’

'The Greatest Showman' star will take over the role of the Nurse.

Keala Settle will make her West End debut in & Juliet as the Nurse, as part of a new cast joining the production this spring. The new cast will begin performances on 29 March at the Shaftesbury Theatre. & Juliet tickets are on sale now.

Settle is best known for playing Lettie Lutz, the bearded lady, in the 2017 film The Greatest Showman. During the film, Settle sings the Golden Globe-winning song "This Is Me." Settle has also been in Broadway musicals, including Waitress as Becky, Les Miserables as Madame Thenardier, and Hands on a Hardbody. Settle will star in & Juliet performances to 18 June.

David Bedella, Jordan Luke Gage, and Melanie La Barrie will play their final performances as Lance, Romeo, and the Nurse respectively on 26 March. New casting for these roles will be named at a later date.

The & Juliet cast is led by Miriam-Teak Lee as Juliet, with Cassidy Janson as Anne Hathaway, Oliver Tompsett as William Shakespeare, Tim Mahendran as Francois and Alex Thomas-Smith as May. The & Juliet ensemble includes Roshani Abbey, Jocasta Almgill, Josh Baker, Ivan De Freitas, Rhian Duncan, Kieran Lai, Nathan Lorainey-Dineen, Jaye Marshall, Grace Mouat, Antoine Murray-Straughan, Billy Nevers, Kerri Norville, Christopher Parkinson, Kirstie Skivington, Alex Tranter, Sophie Usher and Rhys Wilkinson.

& Juliet is a contemporary retelling of William Shakespeare's Romeo & Juliet, and follows Juliet as she travels to Paris to reclaim her story. The & Juliet musical features pop songs written by Max Martin, including "Confident" by Demi Lovato, and "Stronger" by Britney Spears. Find out more about Max Martin songs in & Juliet here. 

After a world premiere in Manchester, & Juliet opened in the West End in 2019. In a review for LondonTheatre.co.uk, our critic said: "this spectacular production - directed by Luke Sheppard and choreographed by Jennifer Weber with vigour and discipline, gives [the show] a full-bodied and full-blooded outing." Find out more about & Juliet in London.

 Juliet is at the Shaftesbury Theatre.

& Juliet tickets are on sale now.

^{Photo credit: Keala Settle (Photo by Warren Saire)}