Imagine if Juliet didn't off herself after Romeo did. Imagine if Juliet decided living was more important than any man. That's the premise of the fun And Juliet that opened in Omaha last night.
Juliet died and William Shakespeare is adamant that the story is done. Anne Hathaway, his wife, asks to be allowed to rewrite the ending and make Juliet a real woman. Anne's story is played out onstage in all of its many possibilities. Juliet heads for Paris with her nonbinary friend, May, and Anne joins in. Along the way Juliet, May and Anne enjoy the fruits of Paris, meeting a gang of goofballs along the way. Romeo comes back to life (thanks to Bill) and throws a wrench into the whole thing much to Anne's dismay and anger. This may sound very serious, but it is not, trust me. It's fun fun fun.
It's a jukebox musical; there's even a jukebox onstage at the start. But let me see, if you are a boomer who listens only to classic rock and disdains modern pop hits, this is not a jukebox musical. It's just a musical. I knew perhaps 33.3% of the music. Since You Been Gone and It's My Life along with some Katy Perry and Backstreet Boys is about it. Those songs were great cuz I knew them. The others were new to me and enjoyable.
The showstoppers were probably the end of Act 1 where Romeo comes back to life and belts out It's My Life (Bon Jovi) with a full ensemble of backup singers and the end of Act 2 where Tell Me Why (Backstreet Boys) brings Bill and Anne back together.
The performances were phenomenal. This may be a musical about Shakespeare and Juliet, but this is Anne Hathaway's play (yes there are jokes about the name). Crystal Kellogg plays Anne with a flair of humor, feminism and a great voice. She is the glue here. Armani Ponder-Keith played Juliet (she is an understudy) with innocence and charisma along with a great voice. Shakespeare played by another understudy, James Tracht, is an arrogant dude who thinks he's always right. He plays off Kellogg with the knowledge that he is an equal yet also a backup. He lets her go do her thing. Kathryn Allison is Angelique (not an understudy) and she is an adult in the room with great presence. Nico Ochoa as May, the non-binary friend prances around the stage with the elegance of a ballet dancer. Romeo is played by Joseph Torres as a kind of an insecure Elvis. Now for a minor character named Lance. Played by Paul Jansen with a baritone French accent, when he is onstage, he dominates. Pay attention to his show stopping line in Act 2. It brought the house down.
This Max Martin musical isn't going to change your life, but it is gonna make your life more enjoyable for a couple of hours. It's a wonderful time.
There is a lot of "woke" in this. A non-binary character, a feminist theme that brings cheers from the kids, and some gay themed storylines. But don't get your red hats all in a bind, it's all in good fun (not to mention I doubt red hats even go to theater).
And Juliet is not nutritious; it's a box of Mike and Ikes or a bag of chips. It's a bag of buttered popcorn at a movie. It's a birthday cake. In other words, it is a joy.
Go enjoy yourself.
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