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“Romeo and Juliet” is a tale as old as time. Well, a tale as old as 1597 — and since then, it has undergone a seemingly endless number of reimaginings. Romeo and Juliet have appeared in magic-infused Shanghai, have been implanted into the thick of a New York City turf war, and have even taken a turn as pint-sized gnomes. But in each rendition, one aspect of the story remains unchanged: The names Romeo and Juliet are inextricably tied. Juliet cannot exist without her Romeo — in fact, the prospect of life without him is so unimaginable that she chooses death.
But what if she didn’t? What if instead of taking her own life when she awakens to find Romeo dead, Juliet charted a path forward?
This is the question at the heart of playwright David West Read’s reimagining of the classic tale, “& Juliet.” The show, directed by Luke Sheppard, hands power back to its heroine, thanks to the intervention of Shakespeare’s strong-willed wife, Anne (Teal Wicks). Bored of tragedies that rob women of their agency and burnt out from raising a family alone while her husband basks in theatrical glory, Anne literally takes the quill into her own hands. Throughout the two hours that follow, Anne and Shakespeare (Corey Mach) feud over the plot of the show with the same viciousness as the Capulets and Montagues themselves. As Anne liberates Juliet (Rachel Simone Webb) and pushes her toward autonomy and empowerment, Shakespeare keeps his heroine on her toes by raising the stakes, writing in plot twists and even reviving old ghosts.
Nonetheless, Juliet persists in finding love, finding her purpose, and most importantly, finding herself. Her journey takes her across the European continent to France, where she experiences the glitz and glamor of Parisian nightlife, meets awkward but earnest heir François De Bois (Mateus Leite Cardoso), and is forced to confront figures from her past. Along the way, her friends May (Nick Drake), Angélique (Kathryn Allison), and Anne — who has written herself into her own show — embark on their own vivid adventures of self-discovery and romance.
Set to the rousing beat of Swedish songwriter Max Martin’s musical catalog, “& Juliet” is a dance-in-your-seat, jam-for-two-hours-straight extravaganza. From start to finish, the show expertly deploys Martin’s wide-ranging discography, opening with a jaw-dropping rendition of “…Baby One More Time,” in which Juliet decides that her loneliness is not, in fact, killing her — despite what Spears may say. With “I’m Not a Girl, Not Yet a Woman,” the show cleverly twists the song’s original meaning to make it a conduit for May, who is nonbinary, to probe their identity. Some of the show’s best numbers are mash-ups, including a daring blend of “Teenage Dream” and “Oops!...I Did it Again.” To anyone who has turned on a radio in the last two decades, most of the songs will be instantly recognizable.
Better yet, the show is self-aware of the music it draws on, leveraging cultural touchpoints to poke fun at its own relationship with the jukebox genre. The best example of this is the hilarious scene when the De Bois family band reunites for one final performance, parodying the Backstreet Boys with the line, “De Bois Band’s back, alright!”
Witty puns abound in the show, many of them Shakespeare-related. For diehard fans of the Bard, there are easter eggs tucked into every scene, including references to both obvious and obscure lines from “Romeo and Juliet” and other plays. But the show is also accessible for those with limited knowledge of Shakespeare’s body of work, making it approachable for all audiences.
The plot, script, and music give “& Juliet” the foundation for success, but the cast’s talents truly bring the show to life. Cardoso’s acting chops are on full display as François finds the courage to embrace his true self, and Drake brings vibrance and vulnerability to May’s exploration of identity and queer love. Angélique and Lance (Paul-Jordan Jansen) are the perfect pair: Their chemistry is palpable, and their comedic delivery is guaranteed to draw laughter from the audience. Mach and Wicks give a convincing portrait of a marriage on the rocks and the courage it takes to piece a relationship back together. But the highlight of the show is the leading lady herself— Webb’s vocals are truly astounding, and her portrayal of a girl discovering her true power is infused with sincerity, passion, and confidence.
The costumes, designed by Paloma Young, are among the most visionary and innovative that have emerged from Broadway in recent years. Like the musical “Six,” which is clearly an influence on both the thematic and visual aspects of the show, “& Juliet” brilliantly fuses modern fashion with historical influences to create a bright, bohemian blend. The costumes feel emblematic of the show as a whole: loosely inspired by fact, deeply interested in the liberating power of imagination.
In contrast to the dramatic costuming, Soutra Gilmour’s sets give credence to the phrase “less is more.” With relatively little in the way of elaborate backdrops, the show makes use of digital imagery and intentionally curated props to build a vivid, immersive world. The exception to this statement are the show’s special effects, where “& Juliet” goes all out. At times, fog fills the stage, and at others, bursts of sparks light up the theater. Twice, characters dangle mid-air for dramatic effect, and toward the show’s conclusion, flurries of confetti rain from the ceiling.
This tendency toward flamboyance visually represents the joy at the heart of the show. In the same vein as recent celebrations of girlhood like “Barbie” and the Eras Tour, “& Juliet” embraces stereotypically “fluffy” elements — like pop, glitter, and melodramatic dance numbers with clear TikTok influences — as conduits for its message of female empowerment. At times, however, it touts this ethos in a way that seems heavy handed, veering toward a brand of “#Girlboss” feminism that feels superficial and cringy in a distinctly millennial way. Despite all the talk — or singing — of female empowerment, for a musical about Juliet finding her voice, the show doesn’t give her much to say. Similarly, “& Juliet” celebrates queer love and identity, but it falls short of the mark by doing little to flesh out these plots and leaving queer characters underdeveloped.
Overall, however, “& Juliet” is a fun-filled watch. It’s laugh-out-loud entertaining, visually gorgeous, and packed with earworms that will leave audience members ready for their own karaoke session. Although we’ve heard the story of Romeo and Juliet a thousand times already, “& Juliet” makes it clear that the story is worth revisiting, “Baby, One More Time.”
“& Juliet” runs at the Citizens Opera House from Nov. 5 to Nov. 17.
—Staff writer Makenna J. Walko can be reached at makenna.walko@thecrimson.com.
