Through June 1: “& Juliet” Rewrites the Bard with Glitter, Guts and a Whole Lot of Max Martin
This pop-powered remix of “Romeo & Juliet” trades tragedy for empowerment, reinvention and a surprisingly sharp take on identity, authorship and the joy of rewriting your own ending
What if “Romeo & Juliet” didn’t end in double suicide but in a sparkly existential reboot co-written by Shakespeare’s wife, who is fed up with her husband's tragic tendencies and decides it’s high time Juliet lived a little? That’s the irreverent premise behind “& Juliet,” the pop-infused Broadway hit now at the Fox Theatre — a show that mashes up Max Martin chart-toppers with a feminist remix of literary history and a wink at every turn.
On paper it sounds like chaos: a jukebox musical stitched together with early-aughts bangers and Gen Z vibes all in service of reimagining a 16th-century tragedy. And yes, there are moments that feel like watching a “Glee” episode on energy drinks with songs like “It’s My Life” wedged into scenes with the subtlety of a sledgehammer. But when all the glitter settles “& Juliet” manages to be disarmingly smart, laugh-out-loud funny and above all fun — the kind of fun that doesn’t condescend or apologize for itself.
Few theatrical genres have been as frequently — or as deservedly — maligned as the jukebox musical. Too often it resembles a dramaturgical Frankenstein: haphazardly assembled plots, jarring song placements and nostalgia masquerading as narrative. Yet “& Juliet” injects the genre with a jolt of vitality — and more surprisingly intellect.
The soundtrack plays like a Max Martin anthology in Elizabethan cosplay — equal parts sonic spectacle and emotional whiplash. It launches with the Backstreet Boys’ “Larger Than Life” because nothing says Shakespearean gravitas like synchronized boy band bravado. Britney Spears’ “...Baby One More Time” becomes a brooding lament while Jessie J’s “Domino” detonates like a confetti cannon of self-assertion. By the time Juliet belts her way through Katy Perry and stages a post-breakup renaissance with Kelly Clarkson you’re either euphorically fist-pumping or questioning your aesthetic boundaries. The finale, Justin Timberlake’s “Can’t Stop the Feeling!” suggests that catharsis now comes with choreography.
David West Read (of “Schitt’s Creek” acclaim) delivers a book that is meta, mischievous and slyly Shakespearean — not just in its wit but in its grasp of identity, gender and destiny as performative, mutable and ripe for reinvention. That reinvention is led by Shakespeare’s oft-overlooked wife Anne Hathaway (no, not that Anne Hathaway) who storms the narrative and helps Juliet author a new ending — one that trades fatalism for autonomy.
The script is peppered with clever inside-Shakespeare references that reward the attentive theatergoer, but it occasionally stumbles in its eagerness to be progressive. Anne’s Act I castigation of Shakespeare over May’s gender identity, for instance, feels more like a thesis statement than a character moment — a case of telling rather than showing. While the message is important, its delivery lacks the subtlety found in other musicals like “Rent” that explore similar themes through lived experience and emotional texture rather than overt exposition. “& Juliet” shines brightest when it trusts its audience to connect the dots.
Still, the production’s emotional core lies in its performances. Juliet — often a role reserved for rising talent or understudies — is here a revelation as played by Rachel Simone-Webb. Her rendition of “Stronger” transcends vocal prowess; it’s a declaration of rebirth. She navigates the liminal space between adolescent turmoil and adult awakening with poise, wit and a voice that elevates the material beyond its genre’s usual spectacle.
Anne Hathaway, meanwhile, is the show’s gravitational force — portrayed with charisma, incisiveness and emotional nuance by Teal Wicks. In lesser hands, Anne might have been a gimmick: a feminist footnote crashing her husband’s draft. But here she commands the stage, particularly in a searing performance of “That’s the Way It Is.” She’s not merely reframing Juliet’s arc; she’s asserting her own.
In “& Juliet” Shakespeare himself is reimagined not as a literary monument but as a flawed theatrical co-author of his own legacy — a choice that drew the ire of critic Rex Reed who dismissed the portrayal as “moronic” and the narrative as “threadbare.”
But me thinks Reed doth protest too much.
His disdain seems rooted in the belief that Shakespeare must remain untouchable, immune to glitter and reinvention. I’d argue the opposite: the Bard borrowed freely and wrote for the masses and would likely delight in this irreverent remix. Corey Mach rescues the character from caricature with a performance that’s magnetic and vocally commanding. His Shakespeare is self-aware, sly and surprisingly endearing — a reminder that even the most hallowed figures can benefit from a little pop-infused humility.
Equally noteworthy is the actor portraying May, Juliet’s nonbinary confidant. Their solo, “I’m Not a Girl, Not Yet a Woman,” could have easily devolved into tokenism or parody. Instead it emerges as one of the evening’s most affecting moments — tender, introspective and quietly radical. It’s a rare pause in the show’s kinetic energy that resonates deeply.
Adding levity and heart to the ensemble are Lance and Angelique (the Nurse) whose rekindled romance offers a charming subplot of second chances. Paul-Jordan Jansen and Kathryn Allison bring comedic flair and vocal gravitas to the roles, turning what could have been a throwaway pairing into one of the show’s most endearing dynamics. Their duet — a mashup of “Teenage Dream” and “Break Free” — is hilarious and unexpectedly moving, capturing the joy and vulnerability of rediscovered love with seasoned warmth.
Daniel J. Maldonado’s Romeo is a comedic standout, leaning into the character’s oblivious charm with just the right amount of self-parody. He plays the role as a full-throttle himbo — all swagger, abs and earnest confusion — and somehow makes it work. Even when the script lobs the occasional insult his way (he’s called a “douche” more than once) Maldonado embraces the caricature with such gusto that Romeo becomes oddly lovable. His musical numbers, especially “One More Try,” are delivered with a mix of bravado and vulnerability that makes his return feel less like a plot device and more like a punchline with heart.
Director Luke Sheppard maintains a brisk tempo while allowing space for emotional resonance. However, a noticeable weakness of “& Juliet” is that the second act doesn’t quite sustain the buoyant momentum of the first. As the plot shifts from reinvention to reconciliation the pacing slows and the show leans more heavily on its ballads to carry emotional weight. At times it channels Truman Capote’s quip about Barbra Streisand — that she could turn a simple song into a three-act opera. Here, too, the musical stretches the emotional elasticity of Max Martin’s catalog, asking songs built for radio hooks to shoulder the burden of character transformation (with the aid of highly theatrical light and projections). While this occasionally lands with surprising poignancy, it can also feel like the show is working overtime to wring depth from material not designed for such dramatic heavy lifting.
The production design — Paloma Young’s Y2K-meets-Renaissance costumes and Soutra Gilmour’s dynamic sets — embraces maximalism without tipping into chaos. Though "& Juliet" earned nine Tony nominations, it took home just one—Best Sound Design of a Musical—a win that fittingly honors the show's exhilarating pop-powered pulse.
And therein lies the surprise. “& Juliet” embraces its commercial DNA — it’s saturated with pop anthems from the likes of Britney Spears and Katy Perry — but it wields them in service of character and narrative not merely as nostalgic filler. While a few numbers clang against the story’s framework more often than not the show deftly aligns pop spectacle with plot progression.
“& Juliet” doesn’t sidestep every jukebox pitfall, but then it doesn’t pretend to. With this touring ensemble — led by a radiant Juliet, a commanding Anne, and a formidable supporting cast — it vaults over most of them. It proves that a jukebox musical need not be a theatrical punchline. It can be intelligent. It can be exuberant. It can even be a little bit audacious. As Shakespeare wrote of Hermia in “A Midsummer Night’s Dream:” ‘Though she be but little, she is fierce.’ The same might be said of this bold, pop-powered show.
“& Juliet” runs at the Fox Theatre through June 1. See the website for more details.