Review: & JULIET at the Hippodrome

I have been a reviewer of musicals, plays, comedy shows, even a guy no one listened to but me as he was playing guitar at a very nice restaurant in the suburbs of Baltimore. I’ve covered Broadway national tours, local productions in nice theatres, ballets in Annapolis, some stirring performances in church basements, and operas in fancy mansions by the Washington Monument. And I am the first to admit that I can sometimes be a little jaded in my approach. But & Juliet is honestly one of the most downright entertaining pieces to come down the pike in some time for me. I’ll tell you how good it was: my 79 year-old husband who can sleep through a monster truck rally (not that we’ve ever been to one) stayed awake for every minute of the show, with a big, cheesy grin, tapping his foot, and hootin’ and hollerin’ like a teenage girl at a Taylor Swift concert. Lord love Baltimore’s Hippodrome Theatre for being able to host this outstanding piece of show biz.

I would never have guessed that there was yet one more version of one of the most iconic plays by the Bard (that’s Shakespeare for you theatrical neophytes. A neophyte is – oh, just go look it up.) Everyone knows the famous bastardized version called ‘West Side Story,’ and more recently we’ve had Shakespeare In Love, Romeo + Juliet,(the Baz Luhrmann one), and even one with gnomes – yikes. But this version breaks entirely new ground. It poses one overarching theme and question – what if one of the star-crossed lovers (that’s a Shakespeare quote, doncha know) didn’t die? I’ll tell you this much: in the hands of the incredibly creative team of musical theatre wizards at work here, the story is massaged almost out of recognition, yet retains the original story line so well that you spend most of the evening going, ‘Oh, I see what they did there. Snicker, snort.’

A quick summary of the libretto has to mention the major plot twists and additions. SPOILER ALERT! & Juliet bounces back and forth between the characters from the original story, like Juliet, her parents, the Nurse, and Romeo (eventually). But this time the tale is told by ol’ Willy himself, and his wife, Ann Hathaway. Ann’s feeling a little neglected and tells her guy so, ends up re-writing the gloomy end of Romeo and Juliet with the big reveal that the heroine does NOT kill herself, but goes on to live a convoluted life that gets even more complicated when she finds out that Romeo also is still alive! Along the way, Juliet and her gay bestie, May, and the Nurse, of course, travel to Paris where they meet the Duke (you gotta have a Duke or two in these things) and his son, the feckless Francis DuBois (whom Juliet calls Fran De Boy.) Juliet promises to marry the son, the Duke and the Nurse get it on, the son discovers he’s gay with the borderline transgender bestie May, and as the saying goes, hijinks ensue. By opening up the story into the aftermath of the tragic wedding of the two lovers, and telling the story from Juliet’s point of view, it becomes a whole new story with plenty of surprise twists along the way.

Like so many great Broadway musicals, this one was also born somewhere else, getting its start in London’s West End like so many other imports to Broadway. With a book by David West Read, who writes some of the funniest dialogue I have heard in a while, this light-hearted romp through some weighty topics like feminine power, transgender rights and respect, toxic masculinity, never loses its sense of humor. Luke Sheppard brings just the right amount of gravity when it’s needed and the pacing is accurate for the material, never letting the energy sag very much even in the serious moments. Soutra Gilmour’s set is a clever mix of stage sets and back stages which worked great for the big production numbers. Costumes by Paloma Young, lights by Howard Hudson, and Andre Cerullo’s music direction of Bill Sherman’s orchestrations and arrangements were all nominated for lots of awards, as well they should have been. Jennifer Weber’s excellently executed choreography danced by a super ensemble held up its end of the production with energy and grace.

The play  features the music of Swedish pop songwriter Max Martin. This guy wrote more hits than just about anyone, collaborating with everyone from Brittany Spears to Pink, to Christina Aguilera, to Arianna Grande, to Kelly Clarkson, to – well, you get the picture, er – audio. He’s responsible for more earworms than I can even count. And his pairing of his hits like ‘I Want It That Way,’ ‘I’m Not A Woman’ (sung with heart-tugging genuineness by the Gay Bestie, May), the ultimate fem power anthem, ‘Roar,’ and the ultimate dance song, Justin Timberlake’s ‘Can’t Stop The Feeling,’ making them fit almost effortlessly (key word ‘almost’) into the convoluted story line is damn near brilliant. There were a couple of scenes that felt like they were shoe horned in to fit the music, and the ending goes on a little long for my taste, but that’s just me and my aging ass being ready to get up after a two hour plus show. The audience from the drag queens in the balcony to the families in the orchestra seats seemed to be loving every minute of the night.

    There is not a weak link on that stage. Each and every one of the actors and ensemble deserve to be called out for special mention. But that’s not practical for this review so let’s hit a few highlights, while hopefully not neglecting any of the other contributions to a fantastic night of theatre. Cory Mach’s Shakespeare was just the right mix of sexy rogue with a touch of buffoon for comedy, great voice and easy on the eyes to boot. Paul-Jordan Jansen and his booming baritone were excellent as the Duke. Nick Drake as May has one of those voices that is surprising in its richness, and he straddled that fine line between camp and comedy like a champ. Michael Canu has just the right mix of smarmy sincerity as Romeo, and lawd, Ms. Kathryn Allison as the Nurse (who knew the Nurse’s name was Angelique? I didn’t) lit up the stage in each of her scenes with a Broadway belt that would have made Merman proud. And I confess that I have always been partial to the Nerdy Guy with Glasses and great comedic timing, brought wonderfully to life in the guise of Francoise DuBois by Mateus Leite Cardoso. Hilarious and cute as he can be.

This is another one of those Broadway blockbusters that houses not one, but two great female roles. As Shakespeare’s neglected wife, Ann Hathaway, Teal Wicks has an impressive voice that can make the hair on the back of your neck stand up, full of rich, open tones, a perfectly placed vibrato, and enough gusto to fill an arena. A fine actor who checks all the boxes, gorgeous, funny, earnest and appealing and talent to burn.

   And as if that weren’t enough, & Juliet also has Rachel Simone Webb as the titular character. This powerhouse actor with her intense vocal gymnastics offers up just the right blend of innocence and determination, grit and intelligence, and all of it gliding on that amazing voice that I rank up there with some of the best in the Broadway business of leading ladies.

& Juliet brings a fresh and welcomed take on the age-old tale of the star-crossed lovers, peppered with familiar phrases still in use today that the Shakespeare character points out as amusing asides to the audience. By changing the focus from the tragic situation in the original play to a new, upbeat conclusion with the addition of a couple of major tweaks to the story, it becomes a tale of female empowerment led by both of the female protagonists. This version will appeal to a wider, younger audience and as a grateful member of Baltimore’s theatre community, I for one am delighted to see new life breathed into old stories. And just wait until you see how the title is arrived at on stage. I loved the ending, the beginning, and just about everything in between. I bet you will, too.

Photo Credit: Matthew Murphy