The popular Broadway musical “& Juliet” reimagines Shakespeare’s “Romeo & Juliet” with an alternate ending that has Juliet surviving and getting a second chance at life — with an unconventional soundtrack to back it. Now the show is heading to Richmond as the Broadway In Richmond series at the Altria Theater May 12-17.
This very unconventional jukebox musical begins with Shakespeare’s wife Anne creating the alternative plot and including herself as a character named April. The musical weaves the songs of pop genius Max Martin throughout the story, including hits made famous by Backstreet Boys, Britney Spears, Katy Perry, Céline Dion, and many others.
IF YOU GO
& Juliet, Altria Theater, Richmond, May 12-17, tickets are $32-$115
“It’s hard to sit in your seat and it’s also hard not to sing along because you do,” said Cindy Creasy, public relations director for Broadway In Richmond. “You know all the lyrics. It’s a really neat perspective. I love that idea, just that twist. It’s just a neat concept and it’s put together so beautifully. I’m excited about it.”
The cast features Fabiola Caraballo Quijada in the title role of Juliet, Paul-Jordan Jansen as Lance, Crystal Kellogg as Anne, CJ Eldred as Shakespeare, Nico Ochoa as May, Kathryn Allison as Angélique, Joseph Torres as Romeo, and Noah Marlowe as François.
“It’s really fun,” said Kellogg, who plays Anne. “These are songs from my teenage years so going into the show I said it was really easy to rehearse this show for myself because I already knew the music. It’s so much fun to sing them and to sing them in the arrangement they’ve done with them.”
One of Anne’s big numbers in the musical is a duet with Juliet, the Céline Dion song “That’s The Way It Is.”
Crystal Kellogg
“I love that song,” Kellogg said. “I’ve listened to Celine’s version now and we do it in a dramatic way where you’re really paying attention to the lyrics and it really fits into the moment that Anne and Juliet have.
“Throughout the show I think that she’s just very excited to be there to be a part of something that her and her husband are writing together. This is a moment where she gets a little deeper and shares a little bit of her own background.”
One of the most clever parts of “& Juliet” is how songs like “Since U Been Gone‚” “Roar,” “Baby One More Time,” “Larger Than Life‚” “Oops!…I Did It Again,” and “Can’t Stop the Feeling!” are seamlessly incorporated into the story.
The book and script were written by David West Read, one of the head writers for the popular TV comedy “Schitt’s Creek,” so there’s a lot of humor along with more serious themes.
“I think it’s really powerful for women to see this,” Creasy said. “just a really good tale of discovery and independence and declaring your own destiny. I think that’s a good message that everybody can glean, whatever your gender identity may be. It’s a good empowering story that says, ‘I am in charge. I am the one that’s going to be making these decisions’.”
“& Juliet” is still running on Broadway and this is one of the first national tours of the musical. Richmond has been attracting many first runs of Broadway shows in recent years.
“I think that says a lot about the area and how so many people support it,” Creasy said. “It’s not just Richmond. It’s Fredericksburg, Charlottesville, Petersburg, and Williamsburg. We really draw from all over. The title may say Broadway In Richmond but I really feel like the series is more Central Virginia.
“I think because we’re doing so well, these producers want to hit the Richmond market relatively quickly in their national tour scheduling. And I think that because the Altria has 3,400 seats, that doesn’t hurt either because it’s like you’re playing to two houses. I hear all the time from cast members how our audiences are so responsive and so much fun and energetic. They feed off that. They all seem to love the theater.”
Fabiola Caraballo Quijada and Joseph Torres in ‘& Juliet’. (Photo credit Evan Zimmerman for MurphyMade)
