The Fourth Walsh

Broadway in Chicago presents & JULIET.

“Romeo & Juliet” is iconic. Boy meets girl. They fall in love. Their families hate each other. They marry anyway. To escape the family feuds, Juliet fakes her death. Finding her lifeless, Romeo poisons himself. Juliet wakes to find his corpse. She then stabs herself to death. This legendary tale is widely regarded as ‘the greatest love story ever told’… until now. Anne Hathaway questions why Juliet must die. No, not “Devil Wears Prada” Anne Hathaway. It’s the original one, Mrs. Shakespeare herself. And she wants to know why her husband doesn’t give his women characters a strong voice to make their own choices.

Emmy Award-winning writer for “Schitt’s Creek”, David West Read masterfully reimagines the famous tale as if Juliet didn’t take her own life. Read sends Juliet (played by an effervescent Rachel Simone Webb) out into the world to make her own way. And not just her, Read pushes women out of the shadows and into the limelight! Anne (played by a fierceTeal Wicks) commandeers her husband’s quill. Nurse (played by a delightful Kathryn Allison) finally gets a name, a lover and a life. And May (played by an endearing Nick Drake) breaks out of the traditional best friend sidekick role to kiss a boy.

Read’s script is fun! He cleverly weaves together fact and fiction as the Shakespeares work out their relationship woes. Wicks laments over her famous husband’s prolonged absences while William (played by a charismatic Corey Mach) hilariously and continuously quotes himself. All Read’s characters get an opportunity to disrupt a preconceived notion outlining their destiny. They get to decide. And their decisions and proclamations are conceptualized in song.

Director Luke Sheppard paces this with an upbeat tempo that matches the dynamic score. Each conversation leads into a well-known pop song. Grammy Award-winning songwriter and producer Max Martin’s familiar lyrics take on a profound meaning in context to the scene. From Brittany Spears to Back Street Boys to Katy Perry, the amazing mash-up is an uplifting anthem to empowerment. And no one belts out the hits better than a dazzling Webb especially in her climatic showstopper. The music, supervised by Bill Sherman, is perfectly complimented by high-energy dancing. Choreographer Jennifer Weber utilizes the talented and diverse ensemble to produce seamless flash-mob-like spectacles.

On so many levels, this show is a winsome combo! All the aspects blend together for an uplifting concoction. And nod out to Costume Designer Paloma Young for dressing up the show with distinctive urban contemporary meets Renaissance finery. Webb’s costumes are particularly stunning.

& JULIET is a total original! I loved it. The concept and the structure seem carefree and simplistic. Yet, this twist on a classic is much more thoughtful in its choices. The creative team brings depth and humor to pop hits in this retelling. And to be honest, I never liked the ending to “Romeo & Juliet” anyway.  & JULIET works better for me – “I Want it that Way”!      

Running Time: Two hours and forty minutes includes an intermission

At Cadillac Palace Theatre, 151 W. Randolph

Music and lyrics by Max Martin and friends

Book by David West Read

Directed by Luke Sheppard

Music supervised, orchestrated and arranged by Bill Sherman

Choreography by Jennifer Weber

Performances are:

Tuesdays through Thursdays at 7pm

Fridays and Saturdays at 7:30pm

Saturdays at 2pm

Sundays at 1pm

December 8 at 6:30pm

December 11 at 1pm

Thru December 15

For more information or tickets

Production photos by Matthew Murphy

For more Chicago theatre information and reviews, please visit Theatre in Chicago