William Shakespeare’s classic love story Romeo and Juliet gets an overhaul in the musical & Juliet which opened Tuesday by Broadway Dallas at the Music Hall at Fair Park. Laced heavily with Max Martin pop hits, this Juliet moves on from her recently dead Romeo and overbearing parents with an empowered outlook, supportive friends and possibly a new beau. The result was glorious pop-music bliss and a clever and funny script by David West Read.
The meta-premise begins with the “Larger Than Life” introduction of William Shakespeare with his wife Anne Hathaway in tow as he sets to finish his latest play. She convinces him to rewrite the ending giving Juliet a choice instead of killing herself over one guy. When he avers “I Want it That Way,” Anne takes the story into her own hands.
As the bro bard, Corey Mack played the douchey Shakespeare with both charming and ick vibes that served the story with groans and laughs. Teal Wicks did double duty-ish as Anne Hathaway and Juliet’s friend April. She conveyed an entire emotional spectrum as the initially supportive and sassy wife until she bore her feelings of pain and rejection. Then she turned out some great comedy chops as part of Juliet’s entourage.
We then meet Juliet at the scene of her dead Romeo where she begins her own story with “Baby One More Time” and she and her friends May and April with her nursemaid Angelique embark on an adventure to Paris with a new outlook. She and May meet Francois who sparks an interest in both while Angelique accidentally reunites with a former flame. All the while, Anne and Will fight over the direction of the play and of Juliet. So meta.
The familiar pop songs give the story an ebullient energy be them ballads or bangers. That Max Martin hits could be feasibly turned into a storytelling tool was always unexpected with each song conveying the exact feelings of what was happening onstage. You may never hear “Teenage Dream” or “I’m Not a Girl, Not Yet a Woman” the same again which isn’t a bad thing because both moments – among many others – were gorgeous renditions of each that packed emotional and romantic punches.
This all couldn’t happen with the enthusiastic cast and its endless energy. Dallas’ own Rachel Simone Webb carried the show like a champ with a stunning voice, sharp dance moves and a performance that tapped into the struggles of a young woman embracing her own identity.
Nick Drake, who I profiled in this week’s upcoming issue, delivered a lovely performance as the nonbinary May. Will and Anne discuss May’s identity which was a low-key poignant moment that probably helped define the character to the audience. But Drake’s performance was a beautiful and lively representation onstage matched by the charming Mateus Leite Cardoso who played both May’s and Juliet’s love interest.
The handling of the queer storyline was sweet without ever feeling like a preachy, woke moment. Similar to The Prom, it was refreshing to see a happy queer story although the payoff felt a little underwhelming.
The unexpected storyline that had a major presence was the elder Angelique and Lance, Francois’ father. While Juliet and her gang were all rewritten into their 20s, Kathryn Allison and Paul-Jordan Jansen brought a sexy and playful banter as their characters found romance a little bit later in their lives.
The cast and songs were already a punchy combo of energy, but Jennifer Weber’s choreography was always thrilling and both modern with throwbacks to boy band steps. Paloma Young’s costumes mixed a bold color profile with edgy period pieces mixed with hip flair. Andrzej Goulding’s projection and video with Soutra Gilmour’s scenic design filled the space with exciting and impressive style that immersed the audience but also brought a bold look to the show.
& Juliet delivered a high level of exuberant energy that mixed both sentiment and satire. And there are great messages within the show but don’t deep dive into something complex and profound. With the shit show the world is right now, & Juliet was a break from all that and if anything, a temporary antidote for feeling joy and excitement about something good in this world.
–Rich Lopez