From Bard to verse

Juliet to the body of Romeo: 'We'll meet in the sky, so I'll not say goodbye.' Mercutio, having been stabbed by Tybalt: 'I'm dying in the dust, but I'm dying like a king... I don't regret a thing.' The Nurse on Juliet: 'Her feelings and her hair have all been re-arranged.'

Ah, unintentional camp! How rare, and yet how wonderful to see it in its most precious, concentrated form. From the portentous 'rock' guitar chords that open the show, to the staggeringly bathetic ending (Chorus: 'Men! Men are fools. They are like... [pause] stubborn mules.') Romeo And Juliet The Musical is a treasure trove of gloriously inept moments delivered with utter sincerity.

Don Black's jaw-dropping lyrics afford the greatest enjoyment, although Gerard Presgurvic's Eurobanal score, full of formulaic chord sequences and wrong turns, comes a close second. But then there is David Freeman's inspired adaptation of the spoken text, which reduces Juliet's speech before taking poison to: 'Here goes!' It's so hard to choose.

One performer almost bursts the bubble. Jane (The Cruise) McDonald turns in a surprisingly well-rounded and well-sung performance as the Nurse. But since the rest of the cast deliver at the highest possible emotional pitch from beginning to end, her efforts fortunately count for naught. Sublime.

Booking to Feb 22, Piccadilly Theatre, Denman Street W1, Mon to Sat 7.30pm, Wed and Sat mats 3pm, £15 to £40. Tel: 020 7369

1734. Tube: Piccadilly Circus