Little Lark of London

“You’re gonna hear me roar!”

& Juliet has been on Broadway for nearly four years now, and it’s not difficult to see why. The show, which originally ran on London’s West End for three years, is an adaptation of William Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet, only there’s a twist – Juliet doesn’t end up killing herself to be with her dead lover, instead choosing to make a new life for herself. The second twist? The show, directed by Luke Sheppard, is a jukebox musical, taking music and lyrics from Max Martin and adding a book by David West Read to create a pop-filled world around Shakespearean characters. 

Audience members follow along as Shakespeare himself (played at this performance by Daniel Assetta) and his wife, Anne (Teal Wicks), join forces to make his next greatest play even better, as Anne has decided she is tired of simply sitting by and letting her husband write all of the words. Enter Juliet (Gianna Harris), who is ready to take on the world with her friends, May (Michael Iván Carrier) and April (a disguised Anne), as well as her nurse, Angélique (Kandi Burruss). Even with poppy numbers like Kesha’s “Blow” and Robyn’s “Show Me Love,” tension soon arises when Shakespeare decides to bring Romeo (played at this performance by Daniel J. Maldonado) back to life too, as well throwing in some chaos with the characters of François (Nathan Levy) and Lance (played at this performance by Reese Britts).

The world of & Juliet is brought to life by its Players (Gabe Amato, Nicholas Cooper, Halima Dodo, Jhailyn Paige Farcon, Makai Hernandez, Joomin Hwang, Nicole Lamb, Mackenzie Meadows, Cassie Silva, TJ Tapp, Zalah Vallien, Darien Van Rensalier, Romy Vuksan, Esosa Oviasu, Alaina Vi Maderal, and Kenneth Onesimus Goubran), Shakespeare-obsessed actors who take on all of the minor roles throughout the play within a play. They do a fantastic job with Jennifer Weber’s choreography, which brings a modern touch to the original 16th-century plot. Paloma Young’s costumes and Soutra Gilmour’s set both do a fantastic job of creating this world of blended centuries, especially when the characters arrive in Paris.  

As someone very familiar with the West End version of & Juliet (having worked behind the bar), it was a pleasant surprise to see that not many things have been changed for the Broadway production. There are only a few cuts to the book, including less of an epilogue before “Can’t Stop the Feeling!”, but these changes do not have a large impact on the show as a whole. A nice change is the set pieces added to “One More Try,” the only original song in the show, that give it more of a carnival theme than the West End. 

What makes & Juliet different than other jukebox musicals that have been on the Great White Way is how it is able to make fun of itself while still making some more serious points. It’s hilarious to have Anne and Shakespeare call for “lights up” when they need to make a change to the story, but it also allows the audience to see more of their struggling relationship, almost mirroring that of the star-crossed lovers in the play. Using pop songs is certainly used for laughs, but it can also be for more serious moments, including when May expresses their struggles with being neither a boy nor a girl through “I’m Not a Girl, Not Yet a Woman” by Britney Spears. 

Ultimately, & Juliet is a silly – yet surprisingly powerful – jukebox musical that will have audiences humming as they leave the theatre. Its modernness is a great way to get people of all ages into Shakespeare, while also telling its own story of female empowerment and queer joy. It’s like a party, with all of the best singers on the karaoke machine for the next three hours!

& Juliet is currently running at the Stephen Sondheim Theatre. For more information and to purchase tickets, click here.