‘& Juliet’ is a Shakespearean jukebox musical romp, sans Romeo
Imagine an alternate ending to “Romeo and Juliet.” That’s the whimsical premise of the effervescent, crowd-pleasing “& Juliet.”
In the Broadway musical, Shakespeare and his feminist wife Anne bicker about the classic play’s conclusion. She says his ending is shit and argues for something more girl-powered. Juliet doesn’t kill herself. Instead the she hightails it out of Verona to Paris — on a carousel horse-driven pedicab. Adding to the antics is a pop music soundtrack.
Shakespeare sings Backstreet Boys’ “I Want It That Way” about the original script, but at Anne’s insistence, Juliet begins a more fanciful Parisian life. The heroine explains it all to the Bon Jovi/Sambora hit “It’s My Life” and Celine Dion’s “That’s the Way It Is.” When a character from the first act reappears, he learns what’s happened with Kelly Clarkson’s “Since U Been Gone.”
What ties the music together are the songs written by hit-maker Max Martin and friends, credited in the playbill, with David West Read, who helmed “Schitt’s Creek,” authoring the show’s book. The songs don’t propel the story; they are tangentially related. The authors unabashedly embrace these shoehorned songs, as seen by the jukebox prop on stage, for this jukebox musical. “& Juliet” is largely enjoyable for the energetic cast’s Broadway-ized renditions of mismatched songs. (Noted that Martin is also a lead producer of this polished package.)
The cast is expert, but the standout is Luke Sheppard, who lead-helmed the Olivier award-winning West End premiere, the Tony-nominated Broadway transfer, and this North American tour. The director creates an evenly lively, eye-popping staging jam-packed with bright imagery and a dizzying array of creative stage movement. Set pieces fly, float, and spin. In lesser hands, this could have been a frenetic mess. Sheppard runs a tight ship, and his staging eschews the fatal (and too often boring) pitfall that befalls other shows with songs not written for theater.
Choreographer Jennifer Weber is capable of seemingly infinite variations through her wide dance vocabulary. Weber’s style incorporates the moves of boy bands and pop divas. Sexy, fluid, and riveting. And performing the choreography, the entire company is razor sharp and deeply impressive.
Rachel Simone Webb is a powerful Juliet, a strong portrayal to hinder Romeo obsolete. She has a striking, effortless belt. Corey Mach is a playful Shakespeare opposite standby of Shelby Griswold’s commanding Anne.
As if the plot centered around Martin’s hits wasn’t gay enough, “& Juliet” gives us a center-stage queer love story. A nonbinary character named May (enjoyably played by Nick Drake) is caught in a love triangle with their love interest, François (Mateus Leite Cardoso), and the titular character. It’s incredibly rare to see a queer nonbinary character be desired by a straight cis femme character and not just a queer best friend.
Drake has a moving solo of Brintey’s “I’m Not a Girl, Not Yet a Woman” that is reinterpreted as a song about living outside the gender binary with the lyrics: “Feels like I’m caught in the middle / That’s when I realize / I’m not a girl / Not yet a woman.” It’s followed by Katy Perry’s bisexual anthem “I Kissed A Girl.” Though May refers to themselves with she/her pronouns through the lyrics, they clarify with the line “You know I’m not a girl, right?” to which François says, “I don’t care. I just like kissing you.”
The aim of jukebox musicals is not Pulitzer lofty, and a Best Musical Tony win would only be possible in a lean season. Many theatergoers will proclaim “& Juliet” as a warm crumpet with a heaping helping of tasty golden syrup. Showing its longstanding appeal, New York previews began in October of 2022, and the musical is still running. Once rights are available, watch for it to be widely regionally staged by high schools and colleges, where 90 percent of live theater is produced.
► Eccles Theatre, through June 22.
