CAN’T STOP THIS FEELING // A THEATRE REVIEW OF “& JULIET (NATIONAL TOUR)”
BY MATEO MORENO
Romeo & Juliet is arguably Shakespeare’s most famous play and one of the most produced shows in the world. There’s been several film adaptations, either directly using the text or based on it and just within the past two years, two splashy productions hit NYC and London: Rachel Zegler and Kit Connor starred in a version on Broadway while Tom Holland and Francesca Amawuda-Rivers lead a revival on the West End. Not to mention that Sadie Sink and Noah Jupe will be featured in an upcoming production back in London next year. As I said, one of the most produced shows in the world. But all these productions follow Shakespeare’s romantic yet tragic story: Romeo and Juliet meet, fall in love, the world objects and they kill themselves. It’s the ultimate broken-hearted tragedy, one that ends with two young teen star crossed lovers…well, dead. But what if they weren’t? The high octane energetic new musical & JULIET, already a hit in London and NYC, is now on a national tour and is currently stopped right here in KC, at the Music Hall of Kansas City. This zippy and spectacle of a show asks the question, “Why does Juliet, a young girl who has her whole world ahead of her, have to kill herself for a boy she barely knows?” And “What if we help her find that unfound destiny by bringing her back to life?” And thus begins a new storyline to the Elizabethan era girl meets boy tragedy, now powered by girl power and modern-day pop music.
As the show begins, and the audience is sitting down, the cast dances on the stage, welcoming you to the show. Then they introduce two very vital characters, not only to the show but to the story itself: William Shakespeare (CJ Edlred) and his wife Anne Hathaway, played by Crystal Kellogg (Yes, that was actually her name). Shakespeare is excited to announce his new play Romeo & Juliet is premiering tonight, and he’s finally finished the ending! Once he tells the cast and his wife, they are less than thrilled. Anne begs her husband to change it and promises this will be the only time she’ll ever interfere with his work. She protests that this young girl has everything going for her. Perhaps it’s not the end. Perhaps it’s just the beginning. Let’s see what she can make of herself. Reluctantly, Shakespeare agrees and Juliet (Fabiola Carabello Quijada) appears next to the tomb where Romeo has just killed himself and decides to not follow suit. From there, Anne realizes that Juliet needs a pair of friends, so she writes in May (Nico Ochoa), a queer nonbinary force of nature and her other best friend April, which will be played by… Anne herself! That’s right; Anne writes herself into the narrative. To help control his story, Shakespeare writes himself into it as well, as an slightly too helpful carriage driver. But enough about the setup, let’s dive into the star of the show herself, Juliet!
Juliet realizes that she’s going nowhere fast with her parents, as they don’t quite embrace her being alive again. They are still sending her to the nunnery. Knowing she ain’t about that, she, her two besties and her faithful Nurse Angelique (Kathryn Allison) take off to Paris and end up at a nightclub where a young man named François (Noah Marlowe) is being celebrated. His father Lance (Paul-Jordan Jansen) is ready to get him married and into adulthood. But Lance is a sensitive musician who doesn’t see the world like his father. Juliet bumps into him at the nightclub and the two realize they have a lot of similar problems: Juliet is trying to escape the nunnery and François (or Frankie as Juliet calls him) is trying to appease his father and get married so he doesn’t have to go into the army. So… what if they get married? Sure, it seems like EXACTLY what Juliet shouldn’t be doing, since she literally just tried that and it went… not so well. Plus, François also bumps into May, and it seems like they may also have a deeper connection. So, what’s a girl far away from Verona to do?
Having first seen & Juliet in London when it first opened, I can attest that I walked in with little to no expectations and left the theatre literally singing its praises. It’s a fantastically fun show with songs that are banger after banger. The script is joke a minute, so even if not all of them land, enough do to keep you laughing out loud throughout the show. And with the addition of May and François, the Queerness of this show is at an all-time high. Knowing all of that, I actually walked into last night’s opening performance in KC with very high expectations. And I’m so pleased to say that they exceeded them. The tour cast is fantastic, and the energy is infectious. The audience were right in the palm of their hands the entire show and the laughs just kept coming. Oh and the soundtrack?! How have I not mentioned the soundtrack yet. All of the songs are written by uber-producer Max Martin which means hit after hit. You’ll hear songs originally sung by Backstreet Boys, Britney Spears, P!nk, Ariana Grande, Katy Perry, Adam Lambert, Justin Timberlake and so many more. There’s so many highlights, from the slowed down version of “Baby one more time” that brings Juliet into our focus to May’s heartbreaking “I’m not a girl, not yet a woman” to the anthem of “Roar” that you won’t be able to pick your favorite moment. Also, if you don’t think Romeo (Joseph Torres) is also coming back, you aren’t following how silly this show is.
And the cast is spectacular. Fabiola Caraballo Quijada is a fierce and fiery Juliet (and also, as her bio states, just recently left HIGH SCHOOL?!), Crystal Kellogg is hilarious as Anne, Nico Ochoa steals their scenes as May, CJ Edlred is very fun as a pretty self-obsessed Shakespeare and Kathryn Allison is a joy to watch as the faithful Nurse. Honestly, I could shout out nearly every cast member here as they all have great moments to shine, including a very funny Joseph Torres as the dim bulb Romeo. Honestly the only big differences I spotted from London to here were a few bigger stage moments in London (which happens, cause tours can’t do it all) and the cast in London played it a little less silly. But honestly the stage craft and costumes here are all fantastic, and the slight turn up on silly absolutely works. This is a must see. Make sure you don’t let this one pass you by. It’s nearly fucking perfect.
GRADE: A
MUSIC & LYRICS BY Max Martin BOOK BY David West Read DIRECTED BY Luke Sheppard STARRING Fabiola Caraballo Quijada, CJ Edlred, Crystal Kellogg, Paul-Jordan Jansen, Nico Ochoa, Kathryn Allison, Joseph Torres, Noah Marlowe NOW ON TOUR AND PLAYING IN KANSAS CITY Through November 23rd. FOR TICKETS AND MORE INFO: https://andjulietbroadway.com/tickets/#north-american-tour