‘& Juliet’ Delivers a Party of Pop Hits Shakespeare Would Love

As if we might not know ‘& Juliet’ is a jukebox musical, the cast celebrates with one on stage in this party for all. (Photo: Matthew Murphy)

A great number of shows that have had the good fortune to open on Broadway in recent years are what critics call “jukebox musicals.” These are dramatic tales strung together with very popular music, often made famous by the artists whose life story the audience will witness—think Jersey Boys about Frankie Valli and The Four Seasons, or Ain’t Too Proud about The Temptations. In other instances, a jukebox musical can feature the work of an artist or group’s songs woven through a story unrelated to the musicians’ success—think Jagged Little Pill with the music of Alanis Morissette, Girl From the North Country featuring all Bob Dylan songs or, most famously, Mama Mia filled with the best of ABBA. So, in case you weren’t informed or might not have suspected it, before the lights go up on this re-invention of Shakespeare’s tragedy, the opening scene for & Juliet, now playing at Benedum Center through November 3, features a jukebox front and center stage. That’s because this evening’s show will pay tribute to the music written by Max Martin.

Who?

You might ask, Max Martin? Well, if you don’t recognize his name, you know his work. & Juliet features 28 of his songs woven into a musical adaptation of Romeo & Juliet. Well… kind of. The musical is about Juliet, not Romeo. When she doesn’t die, as Shakespeare had written in the final act, she goes to Verona. And then to Paris. And she falls in love with Francois. And they plan to marry, but… Wait, what? Well you see, Shakespeare and his wife Anne Hathaway have agreed, on the very premiere of his new teenage tragedy, to totally rewrite the ending. Why, you might ask? Well, for one good reason—and it may well be the only reason—to incorporate the hit songs of Max Martin.

Okay, okay. Is this sounding rather pretentious? Or preposterous? Yes, but if you’re expecting a smooth and stylish take on Shakespeare—something like what Cole Porter and Bob Fosse lent to the retelling of The Taming of the Shrew in Kiss Me, Kate—you’re seated in front of the wrong stage. You might even be the wrong audience for this pop production. This is a party. Let your hair down. Have fun. And play along. 

Because…

If music be the food of love, & Juliet is a smorgasbord of hits made popular by Pink, Katy Perry, Britney Spears, Kelly Clarkson, Demi Lovato, Celine Dion and, perhaps most prominently, The Backstreet Boys. And all of the songs performed—“I Want It That Way,” “Baby, One More Time,” “Oops! … I Did It Again,” “I Kissed a Girl,” “That’s The Way It Is,” “As Long As You Love Me,” “Shape of My Heart,” and the list goes on and on—were written by that maestro of millennial music, Max Martin. Now you know his name. 

And somehow Martin’s poetic lyrics make sense to the plot. But that’s not the point. In fact, very little of & Juliet makes any sense. Even less so if you are not a bona fide Gen-Y’er. Yet again, we are all here just for the fun of it.

And..?

Juliet (Rachel Simone Webb) gives soon to wed fiancé Francois (Mateus Leite Cardoso) the wag. (Photo: Michael Murphy)

Well more than half of that fun is created by the sensational leads in this production. As Juliet, Rachel Simone Webb is as close to perfection as any one performance will prove. A voice, a face, a presence, and a command of character makes her stage talents an absolute thrill to behold. Playing the title role carries a lot of responsibility and Webb does not disappoint. Nor does Teal Wicks as Anne Hathaway, the real protagonist of this play within a play. She carries off a torch song that slays the audience and she, with polish and panache, brings this show a perspective perhaps missing until the end. Will Shakespeare is played irreverently by Corey Mach; he gives the winks, nods and painful puns one might expect from his character, and he delivers a great voice to the all too few songs he is offered within the production. Paul-Jordan Jansen plays Lance, the father of Francois (Mateus Leite Cardoso) who has the latent hots for May (Nick Drake). Jansen is a dynamo, deep voiced or delicate as his scenes dictate. At one point in this parade of pop tunes, his lover Angélique (Kathryn Allison) holds a sign saying “We Love Lance!” We do, of course, and no less so than we love Lance Bass who, as a member of *NSYNC, is as famous as the song “It’s Gonna Be Me” that Lance (Jansen) is then singing. The show is filled with “easter eggs” such as this. And that’s to say nothing of the many, (too?) many puns throughout the production. It’s all just meant to be fun. And a lot of fun it is.

Romeo (Michael Canu) and Juliet (Webb) moonlight as once devoted lovers in a looney moment. (Photo: Michael Murphy)

Also

& Juliet is a North American touring production brought here as part of the PNC Broadway in Pittsburgh season, but it has only a few nights to play at Benedum Center. The show is directed by Luke Sheppard with a book by David West Read who also wrote the jukebox musical In Dreams featuring the music of Roy Orbison. More famously, Read also was a writer on Schitt’s Creek which may explain a lot of this musical’s subliminal humor. Jennifer Weber is the choreographer and all of the orchestrations and arrangements for the stage music are supervised by Bill Sherman. A special shout out to Paloma Young for appealing and perfectly appropriate costume design. David Lober is the production supervisor, Joel Rosen is the production stage manager, and Denny Daniello serves as the company manager. 237 7th St., Cultural District. 

C. Prentiss Orr is a Pittsburgh-based writer who covers theater and other topics for Entertainment Central. He is the author of the books The Surveyor and the Silversmith and Pittsburgh Born, Pittsburgh Bred.

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