Shakespeare’s signature love story receives a pop star makeover in “& Juliet”
A dynamic figure emerged onto the Fair Park stage from a plume of smoke Wednesday night, backed by the turn-of-the-century boy band hit “Larger Than Life.” This wasn’t a blast from the past Backstreet Boys concert, however, and the pop icon at the center of it all never had frosted tips. Instead, William Shakespeare emerged to kickstart the energetic and entertaining “& Juliet,” running through February 9 in Dallas.
The jukebox musical-comedy is a creative twist on “Romeo and Juliet” that wonders what might have happened if Juliet had not taken her life like her star-crossed lover. Backed by reworkings of familiar chart toppers from the 90s and 2000s like “Oops!… I Did It Again” and “Since U Been Gone,” the show is half pop concert extravaganza and half empowering rewrite in the vein of shows like “SIX.”
In the show, the rewrites are all thanks to Shakespeare’s wife, Anne Hathaway, who enters the scene shortly after her husband to demand the famous playwright come up with a better ending for his “debuting” production. A rather controlling and smug Shakespeare reluctantly agrees after an argument with Hathaway and his actors to the tune of “I Want It That Way,” setting the tone for the evening.
“& Juliet” typically keeps it light, witty and almost bubbly, even while confronting some very weighty topics. Unfortunately, what follows Hathaway’s introduction is almost as much of a whirlwind as the famous romance “& Juliet” is based on.
We begin with Juliet’s realization that Romeo is dead, set to a stirring and heartfelt rendition of “…Baby One More Time,” before discovering that Romeo had more than a few recent lovers who he used the same poetic verses on as he did Juliet. In short order, Juliet then finds out her parents want to send her to a nunnery and thus decides to run away to Paris with her best friend May, Hathaway herself playing her friend April and her nurse/beloved parental figure Angelique. Soon after, they sneak into a luxurious party held by the former French soldier Lance to help his son Francois find a wife. If his son doesn’t find a suitor soon, Lance makes it abundantly clear he plans to ship Francois to the army.
The whole plot is wrapped in a growing dispute between Hathaway and Shakespeare that reveals how the latter tends to value his plays more than his family. It’s an onslaught of characters and storylines, with the elaborate numbers in-between serving almost as opportunities to catch your breath.
Luckily, the songs and performances save some of these earlier scenes from derailing. In particular, Rachel Simone Webb shines as Juliet as does Nick Drake as May. Drake’s performance grounds the otherwise breakneck storytelling with an emotional internal struggle about May’s nonbinary identity.
All the breathless exposition does pay off once the party concludes. Each character soon finds themselves tangled in a messy mix of love interests. Francois bumps into May at the party, causing sparks to fly, but he also quickly connects with Juliet due to their similarly overbearing parents. Meanwhile, Angelique and Lance have to decide if they want to rekindle a long-lost romance, while Shakespeare and Hathaway’s dispute begins to spiral out of control.
Some of the show’s best moments follow, punctuated by a couple of properly dramatic twists. Whether it’s the strongly French-accented Lance, played by Paul-Jodan Jansen, crushing a comedic rendition of “Teenage Dream,” May’s emotionally rewarding path to finding inner strength and confidence or the over-the-top presentation of the first act cliffhanger, “& Juliet” finds its stride almost as quickly as it starts.
“& Juliet” largely carries that momentum into the second act in the form of show-stopping versions of songs like “Backstreet’s Back” and “Roar.” The show is simply at its best when its quick laughs and soaring musical numbers pair together.
The sheer number of love stories going into the second act does hurt some of the emotional payoffs at the show’s finale, many of which are more than a little predictable. Nonetheless, it’s hard not to find yourself swept away by its powerful pop renditions and sharp humor.
“& Juliet” may not always make poetry out of its plotlines, but that doesn’t stop its superb performances and captivating visuals from making for a thoroughly entertaining night at Fair Park.
“& Juliet” runs through February 9 at Music Hall at Fair Park as part of Broadway Dallas’ 24-25 Broadway series.
