Review by Jennifer Mustoe, Front Row Reviewers
& Juliet, a bouncy jukebox musical, playing now until June 22 for Broadway at the Eccles in Salt Lake City is just the thing to get you in high gear this summer. & Juliet is filled with fantastic and fanciful singing, dancing, comely costumes, and talented players–its spectacle is dazzling. But readeth on, fair theatre goers. There is more to & Juliet than just Shakespearean hijinks and merriment. Prepare thyself for much more.
As you enter the theatre, & Juliet‘s spangled logo is front and center onstage. The multi-layered, multi-leveled scenic design by Soutra Gilmour gets us ready for a party. Music pounds like we’re at a disco–thanks to Music Supervisor, orchestrations and arrangements Bill Sherman, assisted by Music Director Andre Cerullo and Music Coordinator Michael Aarons. Players jump and frolic onto the stage dressed in what I can only describe as Shakespeare meets Cool Kid clothing design–easy to dance in, fun to look at, filled with spunk. Paloma Young‘s excellent Costume Design is astounding and one would thinketh that if Will were here now, he’d be enchanted. The quick changes, the sparkle, the dazzle, the fun–it’s all there.
& Juliet, as one would expect, revolves around the comely young maiden Juliet Capulet (Rachel Simone Webb) and her lovestruck boyfriend/husband Romeo Montague (Michael Canu). If you are unfamiliar with the original text by Shakespeare (is anyone?) it’s a basic star-crossed boy meets girl, they get married within days of knowing one another, and end up dying for love. Ergo, a Shakespearean tragedy.
The story goes off script when Shakespeare, winningly played by Corey Mach, is confronted by his wife Anne Hathaway (Shelby Griswold) about how she: one, never gets to give input on his plays’ storylines, and further, he rather overlooks her in everything. He is The Big Deal in London and she is stuck at home with their two daughters in Stratford-on-Avon. The Person Who Holds the Quill is the playwright and after a rather hilarious interchange, William finally allows his wife to rewrite the ending of Romeo and Juliet. What starts out as a rather unlikely storyline becomes a message that is relevant and important today.
The William/Anne relationship shows the struggles women have being underutilized and ignored and often thrown away. And patriarchy. All of that. This dynamic between actors March and Griswold is fine-tuned and as outlandish the plot is, it works. Both actors have poignant moments, difficult moments, and lots of comedy and they are wonderful to watch. It may or may not be reminiscent of what a certain reviewer and her husband display from time to time.
Anne gets hold of the pen and off we go. William is not at all pleased to relinquish control of the plot–which is, what if Juliet doesn’t stab herself in the heart after she finds her sweetheart dead? What if she lives, and is able to make choices for herself? Interesting. As familiar pop songs back to back are sung by fine vocalists, William sputters but finally agrees. So Anne herself is creating her own story as an empowered talented woman.
Simone Webb as Juliet is spunky, innocent, and very relatable. Yes, she is in her early teens–in the 1590’s, that’s usually how it’s done. Anne creates Juliet into a new, confident young woman, which is shown with one of the many pop songs, “Confident” by Demi Lovato. Her new friends May (Nick Drake) and Anne as April take her to Paris when she meets Lance, played by Francisco Thurston, as she flees from her domineering parents. Not to give too much away, but in Paris, couples form and love is found and it is interesting and very current.
Some of the most interesting themes are:
Overprotective parents and how they can influence and even destroy their children’s lives.
People falling in love and committing too soon–Juliet first with Romeo and then with Lance, and the chaos and heartbreak that can happen.
Older people rekindling past love–Juliet’s maid Angélique, played by powerhouse performer Naima Alakham finds her former true love, the now single François (Mateus Leite Cardoso).
Lance and May realize their love, and its poignance and relevance isn’t lost on the audience.
Women’s empowerment, shown by Anne and William, and by Juliet as she begins to navigate her freedom is the heart of the show.
The songs in the musical are so well-chosen, who would have thought these popular tunes would find themselves in a musical about Romeo and Juliet? Here is the jukebox score of pop songs, primarily by Max Martin that keep the show popping like a teen graduation party. “Larger Than Life,” “I Want It That Way,” “…Baby One More Time,” “Show Me the Meaning of Being Lonely,” “Domino,” “Show Me Love,” “Blow,” “I’m Not a Girl, Not Yet a Woman,” “Overprotected,” “Confident,” “Teenage Dream / Break Free,” “Oops!…I Did It Again,” “I Kissed a Girl,” and “It’s My Life”. These musical numbers and more bullet through the show, and it is pure Shakespearean magic. And the vocals in & Juliet are beyond amazing. Everyone has a powerful, beautiful voice and it’s a pleasure to just sit back and listen to them as they bring the beat and a blast of fun to us.
The dance numbers to accompany these many tunes are beyond fantastic. Choreographer Jennifer Weber‘s players become movement of the story itself–messages beyond the dance steps. Hair/wig and make-up by J. Jared Janas creates current looks for these characters. Howard Hudson‘s Lighting Design in & Juliet is fantastic, making the entire theatre light up like a Elizabethan Era dance hall. Gareth Owen‘s Sound Design is exceptional–music in this musical could be considered a character it and of itself and Owen brings it to the stage beautifully. Luke Sheppard‘s monumental task as director of this multi-faceted, multi-themed piece is so smooth and coherent, we are slid into the world of this updated Romeo and Juliet easily and believably.
I am purposely not giving too much of the plotline away. This is a show you really need to just attend and drink it all in. It is non-stop comedy, music, romance, beauty, some heartache, dancing… a completely unbelievable story that is exactly true to life. It is a living thing that you must experience.
What happens to the fair Juliet and her Romeo? How fare William and Anne? How do the other players complete their character arcs? How, indeed? This, my beloved cousins, is for you to find out. Come for the music, for the laughs, for the costumes, and songs, and dances and all of it. It is a night of theatre to experience, and a show that you will think about for days to come. And trust me, some of those tunes will be skipping through your mind for a while.
Get ready to rock this show at its end. I’ll sayeth this one thing more, fair friends. “For never was a story of more woe Than this of Juliet and her Romeo.” Until now–and it is whoa, not woe.
Broadway Across America and The George S. and Dolores Doré Eccles Theater present & Juliet, music of Max Martin and friends, book by David West Read.
The George S. and Dolores Doré Eccles Theater, 131 Main St, Salt Lake City, Utah 84111
June 17-22, 2025 Dates and times vary
Tickets: $99 and up + fees. Tickets are available at the Eccles Theater box office, 131 South Main Street, SLC, UT 84111, or by visiting saltlakecountyarts.org/events (use this official link only) or by calling 801.355.2787 (ARTS)
Broadway Across America Facebook
Broadway Across America Instagram
Broadway at the Eccles Facebook
Broadway at the Eccles Instagram
& Juliet promo reel
0 Comments