Since & Juliet started touring around the UK, Gerardine Sacdalan has been starring as Juliet in the jukebox musical, which is currently open at Glasgow until 24th August, before heading to Oxford on 2nd September. Gerardine is working with a cast including Jack Danson as Romeo, Lara Denning as Anne and Kyle Cox as Francois, with the musical featuring songs by Max Martin, and they performed on Britain’s Got Talent during the Semi-Finals. In March, Gerardine made her professional and West End debut at The London Palladium for the 10th Anniversary Concert of Made in Dagenham as Sandra Beaumont, and she graduated from The Urdang Academy this year. Answering our questions, Gerardine spoke about starring as Juliet in & Juliet, touring with the Max Martin jukebox musical and playing Sandra Beaumont in the 10th Anniversary Concert of Made in Dagenham.
In the UK & Ireland Tour of & Juliet, you are starring in the title role of Juliet, what are you enjoying most about performing in the show and touring for the first time?
I think what I’m enjoying the most, is the aspect of falling in love with musical theatre all over again. Touring for the first time is so fun! It’s like one huge extended holiday.
Had you seen & Juliet before auditioning and how did you feel finding out you’d booked the role?
I had not seen & Juliet before, which meant I was able to approach the process freshly. There are honestly no words to describe how I felt booking the role! A lot of tears though.
What is Juliet like to play and how would you describe the character?
Juliet is super fun to play every night, and really empowering. I would describe her as a sassy little firecracker.
How was it meeting the rest of the cast for the first time and how was it rehearsing for the show?
I had met quite a few of the cast before, four of us were in the same year at Urdang! I worked with another one of our cast members at a gym in London too, so many familiar faces. Meeting the rest of the cast was so surreal though, it almost felt like an instant spark in the room. The rehearsal process was definitely intense, but was really exciting to be able to play around and get creative.
What is it like being part of a jukebox musical and performing the Max Martin songs?
Being part of a jukebox musical is honestly like living my BEST pop star fantasy. I already knew pretty much all the songs to the & Juliet soundtrack having grown up surrounded by Max Martin songs, so being able to perform them daily as part of my job feels like a huge honour.
Who do you think will enjoy watching & Juliet and why would you recommend booking tickets?
& Juliet is to be enjoyed by everyone. The messages embedded into the musical are ones that need to be heard on a global scale, so there is a takeaway for everyone who comes to watch! Plus, there is almost a guarantee that everyone will know at least ONE song in the show! And who doesn’t love a boogie.
You performed with the musical on Britain’s Got Talent during the Semi-Finals, how was the experience?
The Britain’s Got Talent experience was a fever dream. I almost felt like I had blacked out and forgotten the whole experience once coming off the stage, it happened so fast! I had the smallest interaction with Simon Cowell just before the cameras started rolling and, honestly, that is a core memory.
What was it like making your professional and West End debut in March as Sandra Beaumont in the 10th Anniversary Concert of Made in Dagenham at The London Palladium?
Making my professional and West End debut in March as part of the Made in Dagenham concert at The Palladium was definitely not on my cards for this year! The whole experience was wild, having had only one week to rehearse, but I was surrounded by so many amazing individuals in the room that I had only dreamed of working with. To watch Bonnie Langford and Killian Donnelly at work was something I will never forget and will always feel so blessed to have seen.
How was it performing as Sandra and what did you enjoy most about being in the cast?
Sandra gave me so much enjoyment to play. The Dagenham accent was one I was humbly quite alright at, haha! Her feature in This Is What We Want was super fun to play with as they gave me quite a lot of creative control, which I thoroughly enjoyed. As previously mentioned, I was very fortunate to be on this production with artists of such high caliber, so I loved being a sponge in that week and soaking up as much as I could.
How have you found your time as a student at The Urdang Academy and what was it like playing Holly in their production of The Wedding Singer?
I loved my time at Urdang. Urdang had always been my dream school, and my experience was nothing short of what I had dreamed it to be. Playing Holly in The Wedding Singer was definitely a character that I had wished I got more time with. The Wedding Singer was one of our second year integrated performances, so was a cut version of the show.
Was there anything that encouraged you to train at Urdang and how does it feel to be graduating this year?
I had always seen Urdang’s Move It pieces and admired a lot of the people that went to Urdang when I was a lot younger. It just seemed like the perfect school for me! Urdang is very diverse when it comes to their year groups, and that was something I was definitely attracted to when applying to drama school. It feels surreal to have only graduated this year, to think I was doing corner work a few months ago in The Great Hall!
Where does your love of acting come from and how did you get into it?
My mum loves Lea Salonga, being from the Philippines, and so I grew up admiring her and her artistry. I idolise her so much, and just think she’s incredible. That’s where my love for musical theatre came from really! My mum also always says that I had been singing from such a young age, and clearly never stopped.
What are some of your favourite theatre shows to watch and which would you like to see that you haven’t done so as yet?
My favourite show that I have watched recently has got to be Hadestown. The music in that show is so beautiful. I am wanting to see Next To Normal and Mean Girls next!
How do you like to spend your free time?
In my free time, I make sure that I give myself some self care. Whether that is a hot girl walk with my favourite podcast in my ears, or cooking a favourite meal that I would not normally have time to make. I also am a huge reader! (Although this is a habit I am struggling to keep up with on tour!)
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