CMU School of Drama


Friday, September 27, 2024

Review Roundup: & JULIET Launches National Tour

www.broadwayworld.com: The North American tour of & Juliet has officially opened at The Hippodrome in Baltimore, MD - and the reviews have started coming in. The cast includes Rachel Simone Webb in the title role of ‘Juliet,’ Paul-Jordan Jansen as ‘Lance,’ Teal Wicks as ‘Anne Hathaway,’ Corey Mach as ‘Shakespeare,’ Nick Drake as ‘May,’ Kathryn Allison as ‘Angélique,’ Michael Canu as ‘Romeo,’ and Mateus Leite Cardoso as ‘François.’

2 comments:

Felix Eisenberg said...

I saw & Juliet with my school last year, and I honestly wasn't a huge fan of it. I thought the production was really cool, and I loved how they utilized the sets to convey these different stories. I’m not surprised that it's a very popular show; however, as I mentioned in another comment, I'm not a big fan of jukebox musicals, but nonetheless, the national tour has kicked off, and from what I've been reading in these reviews, it's living up to the "hype." I think the reason why I somewhat cared for some of the songs in this show was because it was a soundtrack by Max Martin; however, it wasn't like the show was bad, but again, just not my thing. However, I can recognize that it really took this whole turn on a familiar Shakespeare tale in order to appeal to a modern audience. I think the people performing were phenomenal, and these types of shows tend to stay on Broadway for years that people can bring their kids to enjoy. And don't get me wrong, this musical is nothing short of fun, and I'm glad it's touring so that other people can experience it.

Eliza Krigsman said...

I’ve heard great things about ‘& Juliet!’ The Broadway show was a hit that opened in 2022 and immediately set itself apart from other jukebox musicals with its unique blend of existing material and innovation starting right from the script. The North American tour has officially opened recently in Baltimore, and ‘the critics’ love it. One review stated that it was like Six and Moulin Rouge combined, which makes a lot of sense: There’s an old-timey scenic design juxtaposing a very modern costuming, lighting, and sound. & Juliet had a great run during its time on Broadway, but started at the Manchester Opera House and transferred to the West End before Broadway (and making premieres in various other locations like Australia, Singapore, and Canada). The musical features pop songs by a variety of artists, some more recent (Katy Perry, Demi Lovato, Ariana Grande) and some only slightly less so (Backstreet Boys, NSYNC). Though not without critique regarding shallowness, the show’s general review is full of praise.