What if Juliet doesn’t kill herself in William Shakespeare’s enduring 16th Century tragedy “Romeo and Juliet”?
This question, asked of Shakespeare himself by his wife, Anne Hathaway, is the inciting incident of “& Juliet”, the clever, colorful, feminist reimagining of the Bard’s classic, animated by the millennial pop anthems by Swedish hitmaker Max Martin. The result is an utterly delightful two-and-a-half hour hybrid contemporary/16th Century, high-energy, queer, musical comedy.
The show hit the Manchester stage first in 2019 then became a West End hit before moving to Broadway. Born of the “Me Too” movement, with book by David West Read, writer for “Schitts Creek”, the story is smart, clever, sassy, and makes good on the promise of female empowerment, complete with radical acceptance and celebration of diverse bodies—gender identities, sexualities, shapes and sizes, as well as race and ethnicities—shot through with the joy and playfulness of the best, catchiest pop songs of the last 25 years. It’s inclusivity writ large, and seven years after its inception it amounts to wildly fun art as a radical act of resistance.
Directed with the vision and energy of a pop music tour by Luke Sheppard, the story, inspired and layered, seems to improve the already memorable music, sung and danced by extraordinarily talented performers with big sound and visuals thanks to excellent, largely hip-hop choreography (Jennifer Weber); playful, Renaissance-inspired, period-fluid costumes (Paloma Young); pitch-perfect sound design (Gareth Owen); vibrant lighting design that’s part rock-concert, part musical (Howard Hudson) made extra magnificent with brilliant, complementary projections (Andrzej Goulding); and spectacular sets (Southra Gilmour) with seamless scene and set changes.
The story opens with a jukebox on stage—a nod to the potentially eye-rolling fact that this is yet another jukebox musical. There are more than 30 different pop songs in the score and at some point in the second act a few of them lose their luster, even if you can't help but mouth the words. However, much like “Mamma Mia!” improves the Abba hits on which it’s built, “& Juliet” breathes new life into hits from the likes of Britney Spears, Backstreet Boys, Katy Perry, Pink, and Ariana Grande, among others.
“Oops . . . I Did it Again!” is hilarious in the context of Juliet fearing her new beau is dead when she can’t rouse him. “Blow” sets the stage for a huge nightclub scene. “I’m Not a Girl, Not Yet a Woman” is especially poignant sung by Juliet’s non-binary BFF. The build from the utterly uplifting “Confident” to Juliet’s nurse urging self acceptance with “Fucking Perfect” to the apex of Juliet’s selfhood with “Roar” is more moving that one might expect.
This reclaiming of Juliet’s life and agency is thanks to the character Anne Hathaway, who in demanding to share the pen with the Bard is reclaiming her needs and desires in her unfulfilling relationship with Shakespeare. He hesitantly lets her drive the new ending to “Romeo and Juliet” with herself written into the new girl gang that accompanies Juliet to Paris to embrace life and escape her parents’ dictate that she join a nunnery instead of joining the boy she’s loved for four days in death.
The plot twists and turns through several well-worn Shakespearean tropes, including reunited lovers, comic mismatches, gender-bending, and mistaken death. And Will takes back the pen to write himself into the script and interject a love triangle into Anne’s creation of a new love interest for Juliet, an unwanted obstacle not unlike those he presents in their marriage.
The dual narrative provides opportunity for depth, double-entendre, witticisms, and Shakespeare to boastfully quote himself.
The characters of Will and Anne are every bit as delightful as the players in the tragedy they’re successfully transforming into a comedy. CJ Eldred is a charming ass as Shakespeare, with the moves and vocal talent to be in a boy band (De Bois Band in the second act is a hoot). And Crystal Kellogg as Anne is the heart of the show—quick, kind, smart-as-a-whip, and driven by a fervor to right injustices she’s experienced for all—and her gorgeous rendition of Celine Dion’s “That’s The Way It Is” is a bona-fide tear jerker.
Fabiola Caraballo Quijada brings real pop diva vibes as Juliet, and she’s a wonderful comedienne to boot; Nico Ochoa and Noah Marlowe match her vocal skill with their own pop star righteousness and navigate tricky and tender romance with aplomb—as well as bring the laughs.
Also notable are Paul Jordan Jansen with his commanding presence and silly French accent as Lance and Kathryn Allison as a warm, powerful Angelique. Their lovely duet “Shape of My Heart” leads the way into the emotional apex and resolution of the show, which is nowhere near tied up in a bow.
It’s a happy ending, to be sure, complete with two confetti explosions, to make sure there’s no doubt about it. Though Juliet’s love story remains open-ended. But isn’t that the happiest of possibilities for a 13-year-old girl with modern sensibilities, including the self awareness to know she needs to own her own feelings?
It’s enough to hang a pop song on. And leave you walking out the theatre doors with a little more hope as well as a happy, sexy song in your heart.
& Juliet
Broadway Grand Rapids
March 10-15
grandrapids.broadway.com
