Do you yearn for the Good Old Days of rock musicals? Do you wish you could go to the theater and scream and stomp your feet? Then, & Juliet is the show for you. It’s loud (very), fast, and extremely colorful. For the most part, the cast is young (they’d have to be to keep up the breakneck pace), engaging, and extremely talented.
The premise is intriguing: what if Juliet hadn’t killed herself in the tomb? The vision here is that she (Lorna Courtney), instead, sallies forth with her best friend, May (Justin David Sullivan), and her faithful nursemaid, Angelique (Melanie La Barrie). They end up in Paris, and decide to crash a raucous private party. Angelique has an encounter with Lance (Paulo Szot) an old lover, Juliet gets engaged to Francois (Phillipe Arroyoa), and May and Francois kiss. All this occurs according to William Shakespeare (Stark Sands) and his weary wife, Anne (Betsy Wolfe), who wants to know why Juliet should give up her life for Romeo (Ben Jackson Walker).
The singing and dancing are skillful and engaging. The only problem is that when Paulo Szot’s brilliant operatic voice rings out, it’s impossible not to think “Oh yeah, that’s what a Broadway voice should sound like.” The music, by Max Martin “and Friends” (i.e., chart-topping pop songs) is upbeat and fun, but all jammed together they do produce headache-worthy overload. Some of the songs seem stitched in, and not really quite right. When May sings “I’m Not a Girl, Not Yet a Woman,” there’s a definite “huh?” floating through the house. And a lot of the songs are just plain old. “Oops!...I Did it Again” reminds us, inadvertently, of all that poor Britney has been through.
I liked Romeo; he was tall, romantic, and handsome. Juliet was as adorable as a kitten. And Angelique, spicy, with a wink, nearly stole the show.
There’s plenty to like in this musical. Be advised that I covered the production at a Wednesday matinee, and the house was totally sold out. Plan accordingly. If you’re taking a beloved senior with you, bring earplugs. And for Pete’s sake, why don’t they sell popcorn in the lobby? Nothing goes better with confetti.
