& JULIET

This is not your parents’ musical! But it is your hip cousin’s! And Mr. X and mine, as well!

For one of the few times ever, I have not even one negative thing to say! We loved every second of & Juliet. It just may be the most fun musical ever!

There’s actually sooooo much to take notice of on stage that you may have to see it several times. That’s what I definitely want to do. (And we SoCal denizens are lucky enough to have many chances to do just that—when it leaves L.A.’s venerable Ahmanson Theatre it will move on to the Segerstrom Center in Costa Mesa.)

All I knew about & Juliet going in was that Simon Cowell had declared it to be “the best musical I have ever seen.” But I couldn’t really get a handle on what that meant, coming from a self-described musicals-hater.

And then I recently found-out that it features all known hit songs, (which makes it what is referred to as a “jukebox musical,”) as opposed to original music. (But I think there is one that was written expressly for this show.) And then when I did my research when we got home from opening night, (and actually, for the next three days—I’m obsessed over this finding!,) I discovered something mind-blowing. And that is…all these famous songs come from one composer, Max Martin! (He had a collaborator or two on most of them, but still…I mean, come on.) The music is across all genres and by disparate artists, such as Backstreet Boys and Katy Perry, (both of whose multiple hits the audience went nuts over, along with the most upbeat closer ever, Justin Timberlake’s Can’t Stop the Feeling.) How is that even possible??? Mr. X is still “flabbergasted” by it. [Note: There are a handful whose origin I couldn’t confirm, but I believe that Max was at least a part of them. The official credit in the program reads “Music and Lyrics by Max Martin and Friends.” Smart.]

If you’re asking how I could not have been aware of that music situation, the answer is that I don’t read anything about an entertainment before I see it in order to form my own unvarnished opinions. So now that I know about Max Martin’s prolificness, color me impressed! (I detest cliches—as I’ll detail in an upcoming column—but I love colors, so I’m giving myself a pass on this one.) Adding to our astonishment is that when Mr. X and I were gushing about the show on the way home, with both of us saying that a lot of work went into the entirety of the production, from inception to stage, I even said, “Just getting the rights to all the various artists’ songs must have been hard enough! How did they do that?!” Little did I realize they’re all from the same genius!

Actually, I believe that using his songs to create a Broadway musical was the impetus for & Juliet to begin with. (But please do your own research on that topic—I’m exhausted.)

There were a few numbers I didn’t recognize, but it really didn’t matter. The audience chuckled at the beginning of each song because of their familiarity with the lyrics, and getting how it was fitting into that situation. (But, sadly for Mr. X, I’ve been alternating between belting-out Since You’ve Been Gone and Everybody (Backstreet’s Back) all day every day since we saw the show! And my singing is worse than that of a Miss America contestant!)

As to the incredibly witty and well-written script, even though I had never seen the TV series Schitt’s Creek, just knowing that this musical was written by David West Read, a writer and producer on that popular sitcom, I knew it would be funny. (And David and I have the commonality of having lived in New York, Toronto, and here in LA, so I had faith in him.) And it’s even better than I had expected—it’s a riot!

The basic plot is that Shakespeare’s wife, the original Anne Hathaway, wants to re-write Romeo and Juliet to make Juliet not die with Romeo at the end. (That’s why it’s titled & Juliet, with no “Romeo. I love that!) And then we see Anne’s new script play out, with her including herself as a character. And the whole thing is absolutely hilarious. You know I rarely say that. The audience was roaring the whole time. And I was not only hitting Mr. X during especially amusing segments, but the guys next to me, as well! (I’m sure I was not the only one who was doing that.) It’s a very clever (and involved) premise and an even more clever execution.  And it’s all a joy.

You don’t even need to know a lot about Shakespeare or these hit songs to enjoy the show. However, even a slight acquaintance with them definitely enhances the experience.

The entire cast has extraordinary voices. At intermission I said to Mr. X, “Great voices!” And he replied with an admiring and definitive, “Yeah!!!” They are all so perfect, in fact, that I hate to single anyone out. But Mr. X was the most impressed with the pipes on wonderfully-monikered Teal Wicks as Shakespeare’s wife, and I adored the adorable Rachel Webb as Juliet herself. I predict that we will see Rachel starring in many productions for years to come. With a Tony or two to her name!

Mr. X is still raving about it all, with the spot-on observation that it’s “energetic throughout.” Being a krump dancer himself, he (and I, as well,) appreciated Jennifer Weber’s choreography, which is basically all very creative hip-hop. And I kept wondering how such unbelievable hip-hop dancers are also able to sing so well. I don’t understand having so much talent in one body. (Or, in my case, any talent in one body.) As fun as & Juliet is to watch, it looks that way to be a part of, as well. These performers must love doing this show!

Mr. X said that the music “is so tight and clean that I actually thought it was recorded,” until the musicians took their on-stage bows at the end! I love that they came out to receive their kudos during the curtain call instead of just being pointed to in the pit, as happens in most musicals.

There are a lot of complicated Paloma Young-designed costumes, with some fun surprises. The stand-out for me is Juliet’s fabulous second act blue sort-of jumpsuit. I wish I had it to wear for myself, (along with Rachel Webb’s perfect body as my own in which to rock the outfit!)

I don’t want to ruin any surprises, but when confetti rained down on the audience at one point, Mr. X and I whispered to each other at the same time, “Now I know what it feels like to get the Golden Buzzer,” [on AGT!] And it was a wonderful feeling.

Speaking of not ruining it for you, that’s why I never give you the whole synopsis; you can always read it elsewhere. So, in regard to & Juliet, I say simply: see it for the music, the dancing, the humor, the talent, and the spectacle. You can’t go wrong with this one. And get to your seats early so that you don’t miss the bit of fun on stage that precedes the actual start of the show.

It just occurred to me how to impart to you exactly how excellent & Juliet is: a couple of photogs took pix of Mr. X and me as we were entering the theatre, and I was panicking because I had gone out with my natural wavy hair that night, hoping that no one would notice. It was all I could think about, even as we took our seats. But the second the show began, I forgot all about that shallowness, and it stayed away for three days! Any presentation that can knock that nonsense out of me is a winner!

Finally, getting back to my beginning premise, that “this is not your parents’ musical,” I was thinking that perhaps my own classic-musical-loving late ‘rents wouldn’t have been into it. But then I remembered that my English teacher mother used Beatles lyrics as lessons, and they both enjoyed Shakespeare and clever writing, so now I believe even they would have loved & Juliet! So it is at least my parents’ musical, after all.

& Juliet running through September 7, 2025
Ahmanson Theatre 135 N. Grand Avenue

213-972-4400 www.centertheatregroup.org

And then:

& Juliet running September 9 to 21, 2025
Segerstrom Center for the Arts
600 Town Center Drive, Costa Mesa
714-556-2787 www.scfta.org