& Juliet

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& Juliet
The most famous love story of all time. Remixed.
215px
Poster for the West End production
Music Max Martin and others
Lyrics Max Martin and others
Book David West Read
Basis Romeo and Juliet
by William Shakespeare
Premiere 2019: Manchester Opera House
Productions 2019 Manchester
2019 West End
2022 Toronto
2022 Broadway
2023 Melbourne

& Juliet is a 2019 coming-of-age jukebox musical featuring the music of Swedish pop songwriter Max Martin, with a book by David West Read. The story focuses on a "what if" scenario, where Juliet does not die at the end of Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet.

& Juliet premiered at the Manchester Opera House in September 2019, before transferring to the West End in November 2019. At the 2020 Laurence Olivier Awards, & Juliet received 9 nominations and won 3 awards, including Best Actress in a Musical for Miriam-Teak Lee in the title role.[1][2] The West End production also received a record-breaking 13 nominations at the 2020 WhatsOnStage Awards, ultimately winning 6 awards.[3]

Synopsis

Act One

William Shakespeare is introduced by the cast at his first production of Romeo and Juliet, who then welcomes the audience to his newest play ("Larger than Life"). Shakespeare then also introduces his wife, Anne Hathaway, who is visiting from Stratford-upon-Avon to see the play. She suggests he change the ending, wondering what would have happened if Juliet did not kill herself, much to Shakespeare's displeasure ("I Want It That Way"). Nevertheless, Shakespeare allows his wife to explain her idea for the play, which begins with Juliet waking up to find Romeo dead ("...Baby One More Time").

At Romeo's funeral, Juliet finds out that Romeo had many other relationships, with both men and women ("Show Me the Meaning of Being Lonely") and, upon learning of their forbidden relationship, Juliet's parents decide they will send her to a convent. May, Juliet's non-binary friend, and Angelique, her nurse, come to her rescue, while Anne writes herself into the play as 'April', another of Juliet's friends. The four of them decide to take a road trip to Paris ("Domino"). Anne writes Shakespeare into her story as a carriage driver, as the trip to Paris begins ("Show Me Love").

Once in France, they attend a ball which is intended as a party for Francois. His father, Lance, tells him he must either marry or join the army, even though Francois does not wish to pursue either option. Meanwhile, Juliet, Angelique, May, and April sneak into the party ("Blow"). Francois notices their arrival, but does not mind that they crashed his party. May reveals to Juliet that they suffer from gendered concepts such as gender-specific bathrooms and gendered languages, like the French language ("I'm Not a Girl, Not Yet a Woman"). Francois and Juliet begin to bond about their stifled lives and shared experiences ("Overprotected"). Francois finds himself attracted to Juliet, and they dance together ("Confident").

Angelique and Lance spend the night together, and it is revealed that she was formerly the nurse to his children. Lance asks her to stay, while Angelique wants to continue to look after Juliet ("Teenage Dream/Break Free"). Juliet wakes up next to Francois, who proposes, causing Juliet to agonise about her previous relationship with Romeo ("Oops!... I Did It Again"). When her parents arrive to take her to the convent, she quickly accepts Francois' proposal, before discovering Angelique and Lance's previous relationship. Anne challenges Shakespeare for making Juliet get married again, and complains that he never writes about happy marriages.

Deciding that he needs to introduce a conflict or a plot twist to Anne's version of the play, Shakespeare has Francois and May meet again. After the two share a sudden kiss, they both feel conflicted ("I Kissed a Girl"). Making things even more complicated, Shakespeare intends to bring Romeo back from the dead, despite Anne's protests. Romeo arrives and declares his return, saying that he has come back for his wife ("It's My Life").

Act Two

Romeo finds Juliet, forgives her for not killing herself, and wants to go back to being married to her ("Love Me Like You Do"). Juliet reveals to Romeo her engagement with Francois ("Since You've Been Gone"). Shakespeare is frustrated with Anne that Juliet did not listen to Romeo's side of events. Anne counters that this is important to her and that she feels Shakespeare cares more about his plays than his family. Angered, Anne breaks Shakespeare's quill, meaning that neither of them can make any further changes to the story.

May grows angry at Francois for ignoring his feelings for them and for still planning on marrying Juliet ("Whataya Want From Me"), while Juliet complains to May that Romeo lied to her. Francois grows worried, as he hasn't told Juliet about his feelings for May.

Romeo and Juliet meet up again, where Romeo reflects that he only ever felt valued for his looks and that Juliet made him want to be a better person ("One More Try"). Despite their recent bonding, Juliet remains unsure of her feelings towards Romeo ("Problem/Can't Feel My Face"). Francois' brother (in fact Shakespeare in disguise) invites Romeo to join the family band, who will play at Juliet and Francois' wedding. Angelique, in the meantime, proposes to Lance.

Anne discovers that Juliet is still in love with Romeo and recounts her own romance with Shakespeare ("That's the Way It Is"). At the wedding, Shakespeare, May, Francois, Lance and Romeo perform ("Everybody"). Francois begins to read his vows to Juliet ("As Long as You Love Me"). However, both Juliet and Francois change their minds about getting married, with Francois confessing his feelings for May ("It's Gonna Be Me"). This prompts Romeo to again confess his love to Juliet while her parents insist she returns to Verona with them, stating that they know what's best for her, which Juliet refutes ("Stronger").

Lance apologizes to Francois and accepts his and May's relationship ("Shape of My Heart"). Angelique reassures Juliet that she will never leave her ("Fuckin' Perfect"), but Juliet insists Angelique goes with Lance, before deciding to be confident and take charge of her own destiny ("Roar").

Shakespeare complains that Anne ruined his play, and that he only brought back Romeo to give Juliet the happy ending he thought Anne wanted. Anne refutes this, saying she wants Juliet to be able to make her own choices. Realizing he has hurt Anne, Shakespeare apologizes ("I Want It That Way – Reprise").

Shakespeare and Anne agree there does not need to be a conclusive ending, rather a new beginning. Romeo apologizes to Juliet and they decide to go on a first date, Angelique and Lance get married, and Francois and May begin a relationship.

Because he wants everyone to go home happy, Shakespeare and the company perform ("Can't Stop the Feeling!").

Cast and characters

Character Manchester / West End[4] Toronto / Broadway[5] Melbourne[6]
Juliet Capulet Miriam-Teak Lee Lorna Courtney Lorinda May Merrypor
Anne Hathaway/April Cassidy Janson Betsy Wolfe Amy Lehpamer
William Shakespeare Oliver Tompsett Stark Sands Rob Mills
Lance Du Bois David Bedella Paulo Szot Hayden Tee
May Arun Blair-Mangat Justin David Sullivan Jesse Dutlow
Romeo Montague Jordan Luke Gage Ben Jackson Walker Blake Appelqvist
Angélique/Nurse Melanie La Barrie Casey Donovan
François Du Bois Tim Mahendran Philippe Arroyo Yashith Fernando

Notable West End cast replacements

Musical numbers

& Juliet is a jukebox musical and featured existing music co-written by Max Martin, except for the new original song "One More Try", performed on the cast recording by Jessie J.

Performer(s) Song Original Artist
Act 1
Shakespeare and Company "Larger than Life" Backstreet Boys
Anne, Shakespeare and Company "I Want It That Way"
Juliet "…Baby One More Time" Britney Spears
Rosaline, Anne, Shakespeare, Lord Capulet, Lady Capulet, Juliet and Company "Show Me the Meaning of Being Lonely" Backstreet Boys
Juliet, Anne, Angelique and May "Domino" Jessie J
Juliet, Anne, Angelique, May and Company "Show Me Love" Robyn
"Blow" Kesha
May and Juliet "I'm Not a Girl, Not Yet a Woman" Britney Spears
Francois and Juliet "Overprotected"
Juliet, Francois, Angelique and Company "Confident" Demi Lovato
Angelique and Lance "Teenage Dream" / "Break Free" Katy Perry / Ariana Grande feat. Zedd
Juliet and Angelique "Oops!…I Did It Again" Britney Spears
May, Francois and Company "I Kissed a Girl" Katy Perry
Romeo, Shakespeare, Juliet, Anne and Company "It's My Life" Bon Jovi
Act 2
Romeo "Love Me like You Do" Ellie Goulding
Juliet and Female Company "Since U Been Gone" Kelly Clarkson
May and Francois "Whataya Want from Me" Adam Lambert
Juliet, Romeo, and Company "One More Try" Original song
"Problem" / "Can't Feel My Face" Ariana Grande and Iggy Azalea / The Weeknd
Anne and Juliet "That's the Way It Is" Céline Dion
Shakespeare, Romeo, May, Francois, Lance and Company "Everybody (Backstreet's Back)" Backstreet Boys
Francois, Shakespeare, Romeo and May "As Long as You Love Me"
Francois and May "It's Gonna Be Me" *NSYNC
Juliet "Stronger" Britney Spears
Lance, Francois and May "Shape of My Heart" Backstreet Boys
Angelique and Company "Fuckin' Perfect" P!nk
Juliet and Company "Roar" Katy Perry
Shakespeare, Anne, Juliet, Romeo and Company "I Want It That Way" (Reprise) Backstreet Boys
Shakespeare, Anne and Company "Can't Stop the Feeling!" Justin Timberlake

Productions

Manchester (2019)

& Juliet premiered at the Manchester Opera House, running from 10 September to 12 October 2019.[8] The cast starred Miriam-Teak Lee as Juliet. The rest of the cast included Oliver Tompsett as Shakespeare, Cassidy Janson as Anne/April, Melanie La Barrie as Angelique the Nurse, David Bedella as Lance, Jordan Luke Gage as Romeo, Arun Blair-Mangat as May and Tim Mahendran as Francois.[4]

West End (2019-2023)

File:& Juliet, Shaftesbury Theatre West End, May 2022.png
Branding as seen at the Shaftesbury Theatre, May 2022

The show premiered in the West End at the Shaftesbury Theatre on 2 November 2019, in previews, ahead of an official opening on 20 November 2019.[9] All of the cast from the Manchester run of the show transferred for the West End engagement, directed by Luke Sheppard.[10]

In 2020, the show was nominated for 9 Olivier Awards, winning 3 awards. Miriam-Teak Lee won Best Actress in a Musical for her role as Juliet, Cassidy Janson won Best Actress in a Supporting Role for her role as Anne / April, and David Bedella won Best Actor in a Supporting Role for his role as Lance.

On 16 March 2020, the show suspended production due to the COVID-19 pandemic.[11] & Juliet resumed performances on 24 September 2021.[12] All of the main cast returned to the show, with the exception of Blair-Mangat, whose role as May was taken over by Alex Thomas-Smith.[13]

On 26 March 2022, La Barrie, Bedella, and Gage departed & Juliet.[14] The role of Nurse/Angelique was played by Keala Settle, in her West End debut, from 29 March until 18 June 2022.[15] In February 2022, it was announced that Julius D'Silva was cast as Lance and Tom Francis was cast as Romeo.[16]

The West End production closed on 25 March 2023.[17]

Toronto (2022)

& Juliet had a pre-Broadway engagement at the Princess of Wales Theatre in Toronto, Canada.[18] The North American premiere was originally scheduled to open in February 2021, but was postponed as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. It opened on 22 June 2022, and ran through 14 August 2022.[19]

On 6 May 2022, the cast was announced. It starred Lorna Courtney as Juliet, with Stark Sands as Shakespeare, Betsy Wolfe as Anne/April, Melanie La Barrie reprising her role as Angelique the Nurse, Paulo Szot as Lance, Ben Jackson Walker as Romeo, Justin David Sullivan as May, and Philippe Arroyo as Francois.[20]

Broadway (2022)

File:& Juliet set on Broadway in Manhattan in July 2023.jpg
& Juliet set on Broadway in Manhattan in July 2023

In August 2021, it was announced that & Juliet will transfer to Broadway following a pre-Broadway engagement in Toronto.[18] All of the cast from the pre-Broadway engagement transferred to Broadway production.[21] & Juliet opened on Broadway at the Stephen Sondheim Theatre, with previews on 28 October 2022 ahead of an official opening on 17 November 2022.[22] The producers on Broadway are Max Martin, Tim Headington, Theresa Steele Page, Jenny Petersson, Martin Dodd, Eva Price, Lukasz Gottwald, 42nd.club (Phil Kenny, Tom McGrath and Marc Hershberg), Independent Presenters Network, Jack Lane, Library Company, Shellback, Shivhans Pictures, Sing Out, Louise!, Kim Szarzynski, Taylor/Riegler, Tenenbaum/Keyes, Barry Weiss and John Gore Organization.[23] On 2 May 2023, the production received 9 Tony Award nominations, including Best Musical.[24]

Melbourne (2023)

In May 2022, it was announced that & Juliet would make its Australian premiere at the Regent Theatre in February 2023.[25]

On 29 November 2022, the Australian cast was announced. It stars Lorinda May Merrypor as Juliet, with Rob Mills as Shakespeare, Amy Lehpamer as Anne/April,Casey Donovan as Angelique the Nurse, Hayden Tee as Lance, Blake Appelqvist as Romeo, Jesse Dutlow as May, and Yashith Fernando as Francois.[26]

Planned UK tour (2024)

Following its closure in the West End, it was announced that the show will tour the UK in 2024. Dates, casting, and cities are still to be announced.[27]

Planned North American tour (2024)

In April 2023, it was announced that the show will launch a North American national tour in Fall 2024. The tour is scheduled to have engagements in Los Angeles, Washington, DC, Charlotte, and San Francisco with more cities, casting, and dates to be announced at a later date.[28]

Reception

& Juliet’s West End run, which began officially in 20 November 2019, opened with generally mixed reviews. This was due to its lack of themes and its general shallowness. However, there was a lot of praise put upon the cast and crew. The music, utilizing the full discography of Max Martin, was identified as the show’s “saving grace.” It was also praised for its representation of a non-binary character.[29]

& Juliet had mixed reviews upon its Broadway release 17 November 2022. Some praised its high energy and its easy and fun tone, calling it a “breath of fresh air” for the general populace during the tumultuous time which it was released in. It was also praised for the diverse casting and its sense of humour.[30] However, others critiqued the immaturity of the politics and the lack of clear foundation, as well as critiquing the spectacle as feeling like it was “overcompensating.”[31]

& Juliet opened to good reviews in Melbourne, citing the excellent performances and the music as the show's strengths, while claiming that the script was a bit lacking in its writing, as it was mostly used for jokes in between the songs.[32]

Awards

Original West End production

Year Award Category Nominee Result
2020 Laurence Olivier Awards Best New Musical Nominated
Best Actress in a Musical Miriam-Teak Lee Won
Best Actor in a Supporting Role in a Musical David Bedella Won
Best Actress in a Supporting Role in a Musical Cassidy Janson Won
Best Theatre Choreographer Jennifer Weber Nominated
Best Set Design Soutra Gilmour Nominated
Best Costume Design Paloma Young Nominated
Best Lighting Design Howard Hudson Nominated
Original Score or New Orchestrations Dominic Fallacaro and Bill Sherman Nominated
Black British Theatre Awards[33] Best Female Actor in a Musical Miriam-Teak Lee Won
Mousetrap Awards Best Musical Nominated
Spectacular Set Won
Best Female Performer Miriam-Teak Lee Nominated
Saved The Day Grace Mouat Nominated

2022 Broadway production

Year Award Category Nominee Result
2023 Tony Awards[24] Best Musical Nominated
Best Book of a Musical David West Read Nominated
Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role in a Musical Lorna Courtney Nominated
Best Performance by an Actress in a Featured Role in a Musical Betsy Wolfe Nominated
Best Costume Design of a Musical Paloma Young Nominated
Best Lighting Design of a Musical Howard Hudson Nominated
Best Sound Design of a Musical Gareth Owen Nominated
Best Choreography Jennifer Weber Nominated
Best Orchestrations Bill Sherman and Dominic Fallacaro Nominated
Drama Desk Awards[34] Outstanding Musical Nominated
Outstanding Book of a Musical David West Read Nominated
Outer Critics Circle Awards[35] Outstanding New Broadway Musical Nominated
Outstanding Featured Performer in a Broadway Musical Betsy Wolfe Nominated
Outstanding Book of a Musical David West Read Nominated
Outstanding Costume Design (Play or Musical) Paloma Young Nominated
Outstanding Orchestrations Bill Sherman Nominated
Outstanding Choreography Jennifer Weber Nominated

See also

References

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External links

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