How it’s New York: New Yorkers love their Shakespeare.
How it’s (Irish) English: The musical is a “what if” sequel to a]the Shakespeare play Romeo and Juliet.
The thing about Max Martin songs is that even if the name means nothing to you, I’ll bet you right now you can probably sing along to a lot of them.
“I Want It That Way.” “Oops!… I Did It Again.” “I Kissed a Girl.” “Roar.”
It’s hard to avoid these #1 pop hits by the Swedish composer, even if you don’t listen to the radio and only hear new songs at the doctor’s office (if he’s not playing a Sirius 70s station that is.)
That makes & Juliet a jukebox musical that, in the tradition of the weird and wonderful 2018 Go-Go’s song fantasy Head Over Heels, that was really a retelling of Spenser’s The Faerie Queene, has zero to do with the songs themselves and their origins.
Which makes hearing them kind of fun. Familiarity brings acceptance, says Cognitive Science. So you may finding yourself humming the tunes in the two hours and a half musical. (You almost have no choice; it’s a bit loud. You may want earplugs.)
When the show begins, there’s even a huge jukebox onstage. (Set design by Soutra Gilmour). It’s going to be fun, and maybe not too deep.
As the title suggests, this is a story about Juliet– who is NOT an ampersand. What if, Shakespeare’s wife Anne (Betsey Wolfe, delightfully reminiscent of Annaleigh Ashford, and a terrific singer), Juliet doesn’t kill herself, but goes off to see the world?
Directed by Luke Sheppard, & Juliet has pop-confection appeal. Me, I left humming the costumes, which consist of Elizabethan pieces in endless variation and color, by Paloma Young. Young’s invention outshines the plot, which is a simple one by bookwriter David West Read. I think you’re meant to be eagerly awaiting the next #1 song, but I found myself waiting for the next costume with baited breath.
Jennifer Weber’s music video choreography lifts the spirit. Sure the story is a bit obvious but as they dance you can’t help thinking, “how fun is this?
Juliet (Lorna Courtney, appealing , both vulnerable and strong, with an amazing belt) goes off to see the world after waking up in the sarcophagus. Shakespeare (Stark Sands, who captures the spirit of a nebbishy but egoistical playwright perfectly) allows his wife to create the story. As Anne does, she creates a new relationship for the two of them as well. In Anne’s story, Juliet goes on to have adventures, new loves, twisty loves… and a happy ending.
It’s sweet, and if it’s a bit predictable, it’s also hard to resist.
