‘& Juliet’ is a joyous retelling of ‘Romeo and Juliet’

Most modern adaptations of William Shakespeare don’t include the playwright as a character, but some paint him to be an arrogant jerk to the Backstreet Boys’ tune “Larger Than Life.” That’s just one of the punchlines in the sassy jukebox musical & Juliet, a feminist reworking of the romantic tragedy set to 2000s pop hits, playing at the Academy of Music through April 6.

It opens with Shakespeare (Corey Mach) finalizing the suicidal conclusion of Romeo and Juliet when his wife Anne Hathaway (Teal Wicks) interrupts: What if Juliet didn’t have to die over some boy? Egged on by an ensemble in Elizabethan corsets crossed with modern athleisure, Anne convinces her husband to share his gilded quill, literally, so they can rewrite the story together.

That premise cracks open the play’s universe, sending its characters to Paris for a fresh, liberating setting with an explosion of big musical numbers, dynamic props, and slapstick fun. Juliet (a magnetic Rachel Simone Webb) is a delight to watch as she navigates oppressive parents, raging hormones, and the Shakespeares’ invisible puppet mastery.

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On opening night, it seemed everyone was having a great time, from my seat neighbors howling with laughter to the stage performers, who were reliably, joyously effusive. Webb’s shining presence never dimmed, even when a microphone mishap in the second act interrupted her duet with Romeo (played with Valley boy charm by understudy Josh Jordan). Delayed for less than 10 minutes, the actors resumed to loud applause as Webb sang, chuckling, “I’m startin’ over with tears in my eyes.”

The pop diva continued, undeterred, soaring vocally and physically in impressive aerial stunts. All around her, love strikes like it’s contagious: Her nurse (Kathryn Allison) reignites an old flame (Paul-Jordan Jansen), and her nonbinary best friend May (Nick Drake) sees sparks fly with the shy François (Mateus Leite Cardoso). The latter relationship is the most compelling (and conflicting) — with clever use of Britney Spears’ “I’m Not a Girl, Not Yet a Woman,” Adam Lambert’s “Whataya Want From Me,” and NSYNC’s “It’s Gonna Be Me” fueling the sweet queer storyline.

Amid the dizzying relationship chaos, self-awareness grounds the tale (written by David West Read of Schitt’s Creek fame) with a selective lens focusing on the parts of Shakespeare that today’s theatermakers want to preserve — social criticism through gender-bending, flowery language, and a healthy dose of frivolity — while questioning the dominant narratives surrounding the 16th-century play and its much-lauded author. At times, this candid meta criticism feels refreshing, but elsewhere it lands heavy-handedly, a common pitfall in the recent wave of plays rewriting historical texts like Feminism 101.

Understandably, & Juliet’s brash, in-your-face approach emphasizes the cheeky party vibe over the didactic.

Repurposing iconic pop hits by Spears, Pink, Backstreet Boys, and other stars, the musical faces the challenge of comparison. The vocals are undoubtedly well-executed, often even better than the originals. In some parts, however, the choreography was a noticeable departure from the talent of Spears and her contemporaries; certain movements were corny, stiff, and repetitive, with too many fist pumps and finger guns leaving me wondering whether it was intentional TikTok bait.

If the goal was to get folks dancing along, the production succeeded in its finale. Everyone around me jumped to their feet for Justin Timberlake’s “Can’t Stop the Feeling!” Juliet survived, thankfully no longer constrained by tragedy (or technical difficulties), leaving the audience wrapped in palpable joy and love.

(Community/Arts)

A feminist reworking of Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet set to 2000s pop hits that will keep you tapping your feet.

⌚️ Through April 6,📍 240 S. Broad St., 🌐 ensembleartsphilly.org

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