Review Roundup: & JULIET Opens Pre-Broadway Run in Toronto; What Are the Critics Saying?

The Olivier Award-winning original musical, & Juliet, will have its highly anticipated Broadway premiere this fall. Previews will begin on October 28, 2022 ahead of a November 17, 2022 opening at the Stephen Sondheim Theatre.

With a book by David West Read, the Emmy Award-winning writer from "Schitt's Creek," music from legendary five-time Grammy Award-winning songwriter/producer Max Martin, direction by Luke Sheppard and choreography by Emmy Award-winner Jennifer Weber, & Juliet uses some of the most beloved pop songs of the last three decades to tell a multi-generational story of self-discovery, empowerment and love.

The production is currently playing its pre-Broadway engagement in Toronto. Let's see what the critics are saying...

J. Kelly Nestruck, The Globe and Mail: Everything is gleefully anachronistic - from Read's sometimes-rhyming dialogue, to Jennifer Weber's hip-hop/boy-band choreography, to the tiny fluorescent-coloured backpacks that costume designer Paloma Young straps to each character's back - and the supporting characters are all vividly drawn.

Karen Fricker, Toronto Star: This is, on the one hand, a jukebox musical with a difference: while most such shows feature the work of one musical artist or group, the songs here were originally performed by a wide range of artists, offering variety. That said, Martin's stamp is on all of them, meaning that they're incredibly hooky but not always lyrically eloquent, and most stick to a single idea. This contributes to a sense of relentlessness; the show would benefit from some trimming of its two-and-a-half-hour (including intermission) running time.

Isabella Perrone, BroadwayWorld: & JULIET is, at its core, a really fun night at the theatre. It's self-aware enough to celebrate the moments where it's breaking the fourth wall, but there's a depth to the story that's woven through so well you might not notice it at some points. & JULIET allows Juliet, along with the other female and non-gender conforming characters, the chance to speak their minds, to express themselves however they want, and the opportunity to write their own futures outside of what a man in a position of power (in this case, Shakespeare himself) imagines for them. The fact that the cast and creative team behind the production has been able to combine all of that with a soundtrack of poppy hits, tear-jerker moments, and lines that had opening night's audience cheering, applauding, and encouraging characters mid-scene is nothing short of impressive.