& Juliet

My friends Greg and Kyle invited me to join them and our mutual friend Francesca to see & Juliet at the Eccles Theater for the production’s final matinee. We found it to be a clever, energetic, and entertaining musical that explores themes of identity, acceptance, and self determination.

& Juliet is a “jukebox musical” that weaves a reimagined ending to Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet around Max Martin’s pop anthems from the 1990s through the 2010s, songs popularized by The Backstreet Boys, Britney Spears, and Katy Perry. Actors casually assemble on stage one at a time, interacting with each other and adjusting parts of the set. William Shakespeare (Corey Mach) emerges from among them to welcome the audience and present the ending to his new play Romeo and Juliet. His wife Anne Hathaway (Teal Wicks), visiting from Stratford-upon-Avon, disapproves of the ending and proposes an alternative: “What if Juliet doesn’t kill herself?” Juliet (Camille Brooks) wakes up at the tomb and finds Romeo dead, but instead of also committing suicide, she asks why she should end her life for a man she barely knew. Juliet attends Romeo’s funeral and learns about his many other relationships; she hadn’t been his only one as his overtures of love had indicated. Learning of Romeo and Juliet’s secret relationship, Juliet’s parents (Naima Alakham and Usman Ali Mughal) vow to send her to a convent, another outcome that Juliet does not want. With the help of her Nurse Angélique (Kathryn Allison), nonbinary best friend May (Nick Drake), and Anne who writes herself into the narrative as “April,” Juliet escapes Verona to experience life in Paris.

In Paris, Lance Du Bois (Paul-Jordan Jansen) gives his son François (Mateus Leite Cardoso) an ultimatum that he must marry or join the army, but neither option suits François. Juliet, Angélique, May, and April sneak in the back door to a party that Lance is hosting for his son, and the party sets in motion several significant relationships. François and May pass each other at the party and share interested, flirtatious glances. François and Juliet meet and connect over having similar life experiences with controlling parents. Lance and Angélique rekindle a previous love affair and reveal that Angélique had worked in Lance’s household before working for the Capulets. The following morning, François proposes to Juliet, causing her to hesitate in light of her whirlwind romance with Romeo, but she quickly accepts after her parents arrive to follow through with sending her to a convent. Despite the engagement, François and May encounter each other again and share an impulsive kiss that leaves both of them feeling conflicted. Shakespeare heightens the tension by bringing Romeo (Michael Canu) back from the dead to reclaim his wife Juliet. Anne expresses her displeasure about Shakespeare’s direction for the play (repeatedly taking Juliet’s agency from her) as well as his inattention to their marriage, stating that he invests more in his plays than he does in their family. All of the characters have critical decisions to make about how their future will look. Will they submit to others’ expectations and demands? Or will they determine and create their own paths?

The beauty of a “jukebox musical” is already being familiar with the music while simultaneously gaining deeper interpretations of the lyrics as they are creatively placed in new contexts. & Juliet is an entertaining mix of seriousness and humor as it draws puns from the song lyrics and recognizable Shakespearean lines. I particularly loved the tension between trying to meet others’ expectations and designing a life one is happy to live. This comes through poignantly as Juliet and Romeo alternate singing “It’s My Life” at the end of Act One,” most notably in the line, “I just want to live while I’m alive.” Juliet, Romeo, François, May, and to an extent, Anne must grow in confidence (faith in and fidelity to self) to assert the direction their lives will take rather than accepting the narrative that society and their families have written for them. I always champion individuals claiming and carving out their own destinies, so I thoroughly enjoyed this character and thematic development. Camille Brooks as Juliet (the understudy), Kathryn Allison as Angélique, Nick Drake as May, and Teal Wicks as Anne delivered dynamic portrayals of their characters, skillfully showcasing the different registers of their voices. Brooks brought a beautiful soulfulness to her singing of Juliet, particularly her rendition of “Baby One More Time” at the beginning of Act One. The production was cleverly clothed in attire that blended Shakespearean and 1990’s pop culture fashion, and I loved all of Juliet’s costume changes.

We saw & Juliet at the end of its run in Salt Lake City. However, click here for information about the national tour’s performances in other cities. Similarly, Broadway at the Eccles will resume at the end of September 2025. Click here for information about the 2025-2026 season.