What If…

& Juliet

Life is full of what if’s, especially at this time of year. What if my Amazon package doesn’t arrive in time? What if I can’t get all my cookies baked in time for the party? What if the weather prevents me from spending the holidays with my family? And in the theatre, there’s been a recent rash of plays and musicals in which writers have reimagined alternative situations for familiar stories. What if, in Homer’s The Odyssey, Penelope had a more prominent and feminist role? The Goodman’s recent production of THE PENELOPIAD explores that premise. In another strong feminist treatment of a classic, the musical’s playwright and composer imagined what if the Wicked Witch and Glinda the Good were actually best friends? That’s the basis for the highly popular show, WICKED. This trend in writers thinking outside the box continues in a brilliant new coming-of-age jukebox musical, currently in Chicago for only two weeks. Treat yourself to a holiday gift and do whatever you can to see this show. You’ll be so glad you did.

This inventive musical begins creatively and continues to dazzle and delight throughout two acts of passionate storytelling, powerful pop songs and peppy choreography. Playwright David West Read has crafted a brilliant, highly entertaining script that turns Shakespeare’s tragedy about two young star-crossed lovers into a side-splitting, yet poignant, story that’s as contemporary as today. And he’s fashioned this choral comedy into a jukebox musical, liberally laced with the infectious score and witty lyrics of Max Martin. The songs in this show were originally composed for pop stars like Britney Spears, the Backstreet Boys, Katy Perry, Pink and many others.  

So, what if Shakespeare’s tragedy had gone differently? As this musical begins, we meet rockstar William Shakespeare (handsomely portrayed by charismatic Corey Mach, Jonathan Groff’s understudy for Broadway’s MERRILY WE ROLL ALONG) at the opening night of his latest play, ROMEO AND JULIET. He’s worshipped at the theatre by his many adoring fans (“Larger Than Life”). Then Will is surprised to find that his wife, Anne Hathaway, has hired a sitter to watch their daughters so she could attend her husband’s premiere in London. But when she learns how this story plays out, Anne emphatically tells Shakespeare that his drama could use a rewrite. However, Will disagrees (“I Want It That Way”). 

But Anne argues that she’s tired of his female characters dying while the men get to live. What if, Anne argues, Juliet doesn’t die. What if she awakens from her sleeping potion and, finding her beloved Romeo dead (“Baby One More Time”), leaves the tomb and decides to go on with her life? So Anne Hathaway, played with so much wit and wisdom by the beautiful and bewitching Teal Wicks (so magnificent as Elphaba in Broadway’s WICKED, Lady in THE CHER SHOW and Emma in JEKYLL & HYDE), takes her husband’s quill pen and rewrites his tragedy, giving the play a comic and playful, feminist twist. 

Anne’s Juliet attends Romeo’s funeral, and discovers that she wasn’t his only true love. Amidst the large gathering of mourners, both women and men, they all profess to have been Romeo’s paramours. So what’s a girl to do? Well, in the lovely hands of talented triple-threat, Rachel Simone Webb (seen in the original Broadway cast of & JULIET), she first belts out “Show Me the Meaning of Being Lonely.” Then, forming a friends posse with her Nurse (the powerhouse Broadway singer and comedian, Kathryn Allison), her alluring, larger-than-life 

non-binary friend, May (Nick Drake in a fantastic, star-making performance) and her new bff, April, the character Anne Hathaway has written for herself in this new play, the quartet of companions head off for Paris (“Show Me Love”). And that’s when things get interesting and involved.

At a Parisian party, Juliet and May meet Francois (the handsome and talented Mateus Leite Cardoso, seen on Broadway in A BEAUTIFUL NOISE), and both fall for him. Frankie, as Juliet nicknames her new friend, is a little shy and not quite sure whether he’s into women or men. Lance (played with unbridled humor and a gorgeous voice by Paul-Jordan Jansen, who enchanted Chicago audiences in Paramount’s SWEENEY TODD), is Frankie’s Father. He’s been pressuring his son to marry, so Francois thinks maybe he and Juliet should wed…but he’s not exactly in love with her. To Francois, May seems much more desirable, especially after locking lips with them (“I Kissed a Girl”). 

Meanwhile, Lance discovers Angelique (Juliet’s Nurse), his former love, is back in Paris. He strives to rekindle love’s flame (“Teenage Dream”/“Break Free”). Shakespeare isn’t exactly thrilled with his wife’s radical rewrites to his script. So, to complicate matters even further, William decides to resurrect his protagonist and brings Romeo back to woo Juliet (“It’s My Life”) and provide the happy ending that he thinks his wife wants (“Oops…I Did It Again”). The not-too-bright Mr. Montague is played with plenty of humor and talent by comely Michael Canu.

& JULIET continues with Lord and Lady Capulet’s arrival to bully their daughter, May becoming disappointed with Francois for his decision to marry Juliet, Romeo rekindling feelings of love in Juliet and Juliet having second thoughts about wedding Frankie. Anne and Will quarrel over how dense Shakespeare seems concerning his wife’s feelings and she accuses him of putting his art before his marriage. Anne thinks maybe the love has left their union and, like Juliet, she should go off her own without him. The musical continues with even more bouncy 90’s hits, like “Since U Been Gone,” “Whataya Want From Me,” “Can’t Feel My Face,” “That’s the Way It Is,” “Shape of My Heart,” “Fuckin’ Perfect,” “Stronger” and “Roar.”

Director Luke Sheppard’s briskly-paced production, energetically choreographed like an MTV Music Video by Jennifer Weber, is Musically Directed by Andre Cerullo, who also conducts his talented 7-member backstage musical combo. Soutra Gilmour’s colorful, ever-changing Scenic Design works well with Andrzej Goulding’s electrifying Video & Projection Design and Howard Hudson’s concert-style Lighting. But it’s the marvelous mashup of Elizabethan and late 20th Century fashion that make Paloma Young’s Costumes so cleverly delightful. Enhanced by stylish Hair, Wigs and Makeup by J. Jared Janas and you have the complete package. Along with a great cast, and a delectable Cast Album, the original London presentation earned 9 well-deserved Olivier Award nominations, as well as 9 Tony Award nominations for the 2020 Broadway production.

So aptly named, Broadway in Chicago’s latest offering, & JULIET, is every inch a true Broadway production playing for a limited time in Chicago. It’s not only a brilliantly clever reimagining of the “What If…” trope, as applied to Shakespeare’s ROMEO & JULIET; it’s a toe-tapping, hand-clapping, get-up-and-dance-in-the-aisles kind of musical that features a great score of pop hits from the 1990’s and early 2000’s. The cast is entirely stellar, including a hardworking ensemble who defy gravity with their choreographic ability and harmonic vocals. And this musical is particularly noteworthy in that it features a company of realistic-appearing folks from every walk of life, including a positive portrayal of a gay and a non-binary couple who, together, get to enjoy their own happily ever after ending.   

Highly Recommended

Reviewed by Colin Douglas

Presented December 3-15 by Broadway in Chicago at the Cadillac Palace Theatre, 151 W. Randolph, Chicago.

Tickets are available at all BIC box offices, at all Ticketmaster retail locations, by calling the Broadway in Chicago Ticket Line at 800-775-2000 or by going to www.BroadwayInChicago.com

Additional information about this and other area productions can be found at www.theatreinchicago.com.