Interview: Teal Wicks Talks & JULIET and More Ahead of Boston Engagement

Teal Wicks first performed “Shakespeare Meant for Kids” when she was in the fifth grade, and later, while in college at U.C. Irvine, the actor and singer did a production of “Romeo & Juliet” set to a Motown soundtrack.

Now, Wicks is tackling an updated and upbeat take on the Bard’s tragic love story in “& Juliet,” playing Anne Hathaway in the North American tour of the Tony-nominated hit Broadway musical being presented by Broadway In Boston at Citizens Opera House November 5 through 17.

Featuring songs by Grammy-winning Swedish songwriter and producer Max Martin, a book by Emmy Award winner David West Read (“Schitt’s Creek”), direction by Luke Sheppard, and choreography by Emmy Award winner Jennifer Weber, “& Juliet” opened at Broadway’s Stephen Sondheim Theatre in November 2022, where it continues to break box office records.

The musical turns the epic love story of “Romeo & Juliet” on its head and asks what would happen if Juliet didn’t end it all over Romeo and was instead swept away on her own wondrous journey, ditching her heartbreaking demise for a new beginning and a second chance at life and love—her way.

Juliet’s new story bursts to life through a playlist of pop anthems as iconic as her name, including Kelly Clarkson’s “Since U Been Gone‚” Katy Perry’s “Roar,” Britney Spears’s “Baby One More Time,” Backstreet Boys’ “Larger Than Life‚” Celine Dion’s “That’s The Way It Is,” and Justin Timberlake’s “Can't Stop the Feeling.”

Anne Hathaway, Shakespeare’s wife and possible collaborator, is the latest in a line of the Sacramento-born Wicks’ leading roles including Lady in “The Cher Show” and Mary Barrie in “Finding Neverland,” both of which she originated on Broadway, and Emma Carew in the revival of “Jekyll & Hyde.” Wicks made her Broadway debut in 2011 as Elphaba in “Wicked,” after playing the role in sit-down productions of the Stephen Schwartz musical in Los Angeles and San Francisco.

Wicks has also appeared in numerous regional theater productions including the American Repertory Theater’s “The Blue Flower” at the Loeb Drama Center in Cambridge. On television, she has been seen in “NCIS: New Orleans,” “Elementary,” “The Good Wife,” “Chicago Justice,” and more.

By telephone recently from a Charlotte, N.C., tour stop, Wicks talked about “& Juliet,” playing Elphaba in “Wicked,” the upcoming film adaptation of the musical, and more.

Tell me about this depiction of Anne Hathaway?

In our show, as she was in real life, Anne Hathaway is Shakespeare’s wife who lived out in the country in Stratford-on-Avon with their children, Susanna and twins Hamnet and Judith. She shows up on the opening night of her husband’s new play, “The Love Story of Romeo & Juliet,” and the pair reimagine the story if Juliet didn’t die.

The new play is very special to Anne. When she comes in for the opening, she doesn’t know the ending. She suggests changes and her husband says okay. They have a magic quill, which they pass back and forth between them during the rewrites.

Before taking on this part, what did you know about Anne Hathaway?

Not very much really, because except through wills and other official documents, very little is known about Anne other than that she was eight years older than Shakespeare and that one of their twins, Hamnet, died at age 11, likely of bubonic plague.

You’re featured in musical numbers including “I Want It That Way,” “Show Me Love,” “Blow,” “Can’t Stop the Feeling,” and “That’s the Way It Is.” Do you have a favorite, and why?

I love that I get to sing “That’s The Way It Is,” which was a worldwide top-ten hit for Celine Dion in 1999. It’s different from all the other, more playful, pumped-up numbers I’m in. The song is Anne’s first time expressing her inner self and it’s when she gets to share herself with the audience. It comes when Anne and Will decide to write together and become sort-of narrators, helping guide the audience along.

Are the songs in this show music you listened to in the past?

When Britney Spears and the Backstreet Boys became popular, I was in my rock and classic rock phase, and I was also listening to Motown thanks to my parents, and to jazz, too. Bubblegum pop was not my jive. The music was everywhere, though, so, despite my resistance, the songs seeped into me. Max Martin is an alchemist – he’s brilliant when it comes to this kind of music.

Whenever I do a show, I create a dressing-room play list. Right now, it’s all Kelly Clarkson and Ariana Grande while it used to be all Janis Joplin, Patti Smith, P.J. Harvey, and Joni Mitchell.

Playing Elphaba in “Wicked” is often a seminal moment in a performer’s career. What was it like for you?

All I knew at the time was that Elphaba really resonated with me and I wanted to play the role. When I began following musical theater, I was obsessed with Idina Menzel and Julia Murney, who were both phenomenal in the role. When I landed the part, “Wicked” became my first really big production. When I did it at the Pantages in Los Angeles, I felt like a rock star. I loved every moment and I wasn’t afraid at all either, because theater is my safe space.

The first of the two-part feature film of “Wicked,” starring Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande, opens on November 21. Are you looking forward to it?

I cannot wait to see the movie. The “& Juliet” touring company is going to do a group trip to see it, but I’m bummed that I’ll have to miss the alumni reunion happening in connection with the film’s release. Playing Elphaba can be isolating and feel very separate from the other characters so there’s a Green Girl Sisterhood for people who have played to role. We were so happy when Cynthia Erivo was cast to play Elphaba in the film. She is so smart and thoughtful and she pours her whole heart into everything she does. We’re delighted to welcome her into the Green Girl Sisterhood.

Photo caption: Teal Wicks as Anne Hathaway and Corey Mach as William Shakespeare in a scene from the North American tour of “& Juliet.” Photo by Matthew Murphy. Head shot of Teal Wicks courtesy of Broadway In Boston.