My coffee consumption is pretty ridiculous so I walked into & Juliet, the hit jukebox musical that reimagines Shakespeare’s Romeo & Juliet feeling like Cincinatti Reds star Elly De La Cruz on rollerskates. Yet, watching each and every cast member and hanging on each punchy line written for the production by Schitt’s Creek writer David West Read, I found myself in awe a bit. The show was so much more alive than I was. That’s not a knock on me. It’s high praise for a show that doesn’t really need it. You don’t need another reviewer telling you how good & Juliet is. Amirite?
The musical has been on many a “must” list ever since it opened at Stephen Sondheim Theatre back in November 2022, and for good reason. Jukebox musicals aren’t supposed to be this good. Usually, the plot is paper thin with performers just bursting into popular songs for no reason. There’s almost always a disconnect. Here, songs penned by hitmaker Max Martin (made popular by the likes of Britney Spears, Backstreet Boys, Pink, Kelly Clarkson and Ariana Grande, etc.) flow effortlessly with the plot. More importantly, they make sense. Just ask my co-pilot for the evening: my 77-year-old dad who knew exactly one tune: “Teenage Dream” by Katy Perry. What did my parental unit think of the entire production? He loved it. He’s probably playing the soundtrack right now on Spotify if he can figure out how to work the app. A show works when the songs work in the context of the show. It’s pretty simple. Let me break down why a little more.
& Juliet reimagines the ending of Shakespeare’s tragic tale with Shakespeare (Austin Scott) and his wife Anne Hathaway (Betsy Wolfe) narrating a different tale. Anne wants this tale, loosely inspired by their marriage, to take a lighter path so the pair take turns plotting Juliet’s course. Juliet, played by Maya Boyd in a — to quote a classic pop song used in the story “Fucking Perfect” —Broadway debut, leaves Romeo (Ben Jackson Walker) behind with her nurse Angelique (Jeannette Bayardelle), bestie May (Justin David Sullivan), and Anne (yep, she wrote herself into the story) to, um, can I say live her best life? That line is so overused and cliched and feels so forced but I’ll just run with it. The trio set off to Paris where Juliet meets potential love interest Francois (Philip Arroyo), his strict and oft-disapproving dad Lance (David Bedela), and, of course, Romeo comes back. To tell more of the story is pointless in the review, and would spoil the fun.
Fun with a capital “F” is exactly what this show is. It’s no wonder why my dad liked it as much as I did. It doesn’t take itself seriously, the songs work so well with the story, and aren’t just, as I mentioned, thrown in randomly. But, again going back to my coffee lede — what makes the show is the energy level of the whole damn thing. The story, the set design, choreography and the performances elevate this thing. It’s no wonder why Wolfe was nominated for a Tony. She steals her scenes with her humor, sensitivity and vocals. She had the near sold-out performance I was at eating from the palm of her hand. (Not literally — that’d be weird.) Bedella is also a scene stealer as Lance. His comedic timing is on point — specifically on “Teenage Dream.” His chemistry with the equally awesome Bayardelle is stellar. Scott, Arroyo and especially Sullivan resonate in their respective roles as well, but for me, it’s Boyd and Walker who truly elevate this production to “WTF?” heights. (By “WTF?” I mean, like how is this show so good heights.)
Bottomline — Boyd is a star. Her vocals are unmatched, and her Juliet is bursting with life. She hits all the notes like any of the top pop stars around, and nails the dancing, as well. Walker, too, nails all of the vocals but also hits all the right comedic notes. Fittingly, Romeo & Juliet nail it. & Juliet isn’t going to change the world, but it’ll make you smile. What more can you ask for?
photo/Matthew Murphy
