Anyone who has taken a high school English class knows the story of William Shakespeare’s “Romeo and Juliet,” the tragic young lovers who defy their feuding families to get married and ultimately meet their untimely ends in a mutual suicide.
In Shakespeare’s original play, one of the literary world’s most unfortunate miscommunications leads Romeo to kill himself upon finding Juliet “dead,” not realizing that she has only taken a sleeping potion. When Juliet wakes up and sees Romeo dead, she then truly kills herself using his dagger.
Romeo and Juliet are in their mid-to-early teens during the story, leading the story’s more mature readers to pause and ask themselves, “Now, why did she have to go and do that?”
The Broadway show “& Juliet” rewrites this iconic tragedy by asking, “What if she never did?”
In this play-inside-a-play, Shakespeare is interrupted by his wife, Anne Hathaway, before he can stage the version of “Romeo and Juliet” that the audience knows. Instead, Anne convinces him to let her help rewrite the story so that, rather than killing herself, Juliet decides to move on with her life.
“& Juliet” is what is known as a “jukebox musical,” meaning that the soundtrack is composed of pre-existing songs — sometimes all by the same artist and sometimes by an assortment of artists — rather than ones written for the specific purpose of a particular musical. These musicals have seen mixed reviews from the general public over the years, with some more negative feedback being attributed to unusual song choices and awkward transitions.
Any pre-existing skepticism that audience members may have had, however, melts away with each minute of the show. The tracklist includes songs from artists ranging from The Backstreet Boys, Bon Jovi, Brittany Spears, Demi Lovato, Ke$ha and Katy Perry. Some of them have been re-composed to fit both the Broadway stage and the storyline, while others sound closer to their original iterations, but all of them felt very well-selected and well-placed within their particular scenes.
Juliet’s first onstage appearance is paired with a power-ballad version of Brittany Spears’s “…Baby One More Time,” sung by the incredibly talented Rachel Simone Webb, who is a standout from her first song. Not only does she introduce this brand new version of Juliet, a spunky, confident and newly single young woman (in her twenties, instead of her teens), but she showcases a beautifully powerful voice in every song she was a part of.
In order to avoid being sent to a nunnery by her parents, Juliet, her two newly-written best friends May and April and her Nurse run away from Verona to Paris, France. There, the audience is introduced to François DuBoise, an awkward young man grappling with the choice that his overbearing father is forcing onto him of either getting married or joining the army. François meets Juliet and her friends, and both of them are whisked away on a journey of finding confidence, independence and identity.
Not only does “& Juliet” allow Juliet to take back her destiny as a strong female character, it also includes other powerful LGBTQ+ themes such as a closeted person’s internal struggle between happiness and expectation, and finding love as someone who identifies outside of the gender binary.
The show and its soundtrack craft a harmonious balance between fun, carefree scenes and emotionally vulnerable moments that undoubtedly resonate with audiences from all demographics, from younger viewers who have fought for the chance at love to older viewers who have wanted a chance to find renewed passion.
The costumes combine modern and medieval designs, from fashionable corsets to airbrushed jackets, symbolizing both past and present elements of the story.
The ensemble, referred to in the show as “the Players,” tackle impressive choreography in every number while contributing harmonies that add depth to the songs. Despite the fact that many audience members may recognize the songs on the soundtrack, they have never heard them quite like this.
The jokes, while sometimes corny, are timed and delivered in such a way that earns laughs each time. Every scene has a feeling of vibrancy within it and not just because of the bright lights and jewel-toned colors. While the show itself was clearly written with care, intention and foresight, the North American touring cast gives it a feeling of true liveliness, love and passion. Cast aside any doubts or expectations and experience the celebration of love, individuality and diversity that is “& Juliet.”
“& Juliet” will be performing at the Fox Theatre from Jan. 7 to Jan. 12.