Get ready for some fun, laughter and unexpected raucous joy. “& Juliet” has arrived at the Ahmanson, and it’s one of the must-see events of the summer. Like “Mamma Mia,” presently being revived in New York, this is a “leave your brain at the door” jukebox musical that will have you rocking in your seat and wondering how David West Read conceived such an imaginative reworking of Shakespeare’s “Romeo and Juliet.” By reworking, I mean throwing away the book and incorporating a veritable plethora of pop tunes from the ‘90s and 2000s, all by one remarkable composer, Max Martin (and friends). The list of stars who made these songs famous is too long to list, but among them are Backstreet Boys, Britney Spears, Ariana Grande, Pink and Katy Perry, with Celine Dion and Bon Jovi thrown in for good measure.
Will Shakespeare is in the process of finishing his latest play, “Romeo and Juliet,” and Anne Hathaway, his wife, is none too happy. Why, she asks, does he have to kill off Juliet? Romeo’s dead, OK; but Juliet? Come on. Why can’t she wake up and just move on like the powerful independent woman she should be? Will is unsympathetic. She should leave the writing to him and stay home and raise the kids. Frustrated, Anne lets him have it. He likes his plays better than her; she’s not even sure that she’s the inspiration for his love poems. She grabs his quill and begins a “page one rewrite” of the ending.
Photos by Matthew Murphy
Her Juliet doesn’t die. She has more to offer, although her parents are still intent on sending her to a nunnery. Enlisting Nurse Angelique’s help to escape that fate, she gathers her best friends around her—boyfriend May, clearly on the opposite end of the gender spectrum, and April, played by Anne. Will is less than impressed and informs Anne that the playwright never plays. But Anne has loftier aspirations and wants to show off her singing and dancing skills. A disheartened Will sees where this is going and it’s not in his direction. Of course, he violates his own rule not to insert himself into the action by doing just that as he wink-winks his way into various chorus roles.
The fun begins the minute the cast launches into the song “Larger than Life” as Juliet talks about what she wants. Will and Anne argue about her perception, but Anne just forges ahead with her vision of the play and the enlightenment of Juliet, singing “I Want It That Way,” like the first song, another former hit by the Backstreet Boys.
What to do? What to do? Let’s leave 15th-century Verona and carriage off to Paris where the fun continues. The plot is loose but, in the end, it’s really not about Juliet: it’s about Anne and what she wants and what she doesn’t have. Will and Anne’s musical interactions pepper Anne’s play throughout with an undercurrent of playfulness and tension, but always musically fun and inventive. It’s hard not to get swept into the anachronistic, illogical fun. Juliet’s parents are still threatening her with a nunnery, so a hasty marriage is planned and abandoned when love conquers all, just not the love anyone was expecting.
Everyone gets what or who they want; love is lost, love is found, everyone and everything is full of surprises and no one dies (literally or figuratively).
The colorful costuming is a modern take on the hats, tiaras, doublets, puffy-sleeved chemises, peasant skirts and hose worn by both the men and women. Jennifer Weber choreographs “& Juliet” like an MTV musical video of the ‘90s with bumps and grinds and hip hop and unadulterated joy. The cast performs the numbers like they would for a Beyoncé arena show. Only massive self-control keeps you from getting out of your seat and joining them.
What really sells the show is the fabulous cast of every size, shape, color and gender. Their enthusiasm, raucous singing and delightful dancing envelope you from the beginning. There are very few weaknesses. Mateus Leite Cardoso, who plays François/Frankie, Juliet’s Parisian love interest, is a fine singer but as an actor and dancer, he is stiff where he needs to be fluid. In the Los Angeles production, the role of Romeo has been recast, and Ben Jackson Walker, who originated the role on Broadway, is adorably tall, cute and gangly but seems still to be trying to integrate into an ensemble that has been rehearsing together for a while. The duo of Anne Hathaway (also April) and Shakespeare played by Teal Wicks and Corey Mach, respectively, are delightful, engaging, and the whole package when it comes to acting, singing and dancing. They really underpin everything with their personal marriage drama, one that is totally relatable. Supporting players Kathryn Allison as Angelique, Juliet’s faithful nurse, Nick Drake as the gender bending May, and Paul-Jordan Jansen as Lance, François’ father, all add substance and merriment to the convoluted story.
The star and shining light who carries this frothy production on her adorable off-shoulder blousons is the remarkable Rachel Simone Webb as Juliet. Her talented singing, dancing and acting set the stage on fire, and you will stand and cheer her at the end. Surely a major career on stage, screen and television awaits her.
Director Luke Sheppard keeps everything moving quickly, no small feat when considering the vast number of moving parts. It’s all very seamless. After a seemingly flawless, explosively entertaining first act, it was almost to be expected that the second act suffered from a lull as it tried to regain its footing in the story. David West Read had sung and danced himself into a corner. But recover it did, rousing itself to Juliet’s showstopper, “Roar,” a song originally popularized by Katy Perry. And roar you will at this jukebox musical that Max Martin (a Swede just like the creators of “Mama Mia,” Benny Andersson and Björn Ulvaeus) inspired with his many lyrical creative partners, or “friends,” as he deems them. If you miss it at the Ahmanson, hie thee to the Segerstrom Center for the Arts in Costa Mesa; its next stop.
Now playing through Sept. 7 at the Ahmanson Theatre, 135 N. Grand Avenue. Performances at 7:30 p.m., Tuesday-Thursday; 8 p.m. on Fridays; 2:00 and 7 p.m. on Saturdays; and 1:00 and 7 p.m. on Sundays.
At the Segerstrom Center for the Arts, 600 Town Center Drive, Costa Mesa, from Sept. 9 to 21.
Neely Swanson spent most of her professional career in the television industry, almost all of it working for David E. Kelley. In her last full-time position as Executive Vice President of Development, she reviewed writer submissions and targeted content for adaptation. As she has often said, she did book reports for a living. For several years she was a freelance writer for “Written By,” the magazine of the WGA West, and was adjunct faculty at USC in the writing division of the School of Cinematic Arts. Neely has been writing film and television reviews for the “Easy Reader” for more than 10 years. Her past reviews can be read on Rotten Tomatoes where she is a tomatometer-approved critic.
