‘& Juliet’ flips Shakespearean staple on its head at Landmark showing
Romeo and Juliet lock eyes during a performance of “& Juliet” at Syracuse’s Landmark Theatre. The Broadway hit “& Juliet,” a modern twist on Shakespearean classic “Romeo and Juliet,” began touring in September 2024. Courtesy of Evan Zimmerman
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Editor’s note: This article includes mention of violence and suicide.
Most renditions of William Shakespeare’s “Romeo and Juliet” aren’t backdropped by modern pop songs from the likes of Britney Spears and the Backstreet Boys. But “& Juliet” isn’t like most shows.
“I think it’s great that they have all these different songs, different genres from the 90s, early 2000s, even 2010s,” Syracuse University freshman Hannah McCarthy-Szczitka said. “It makes it a lot easier for people our age to start getting into theater.”
McCarthy-Szczitka saw the musical twice this week during the show’s stop at Syracuse’s Landmark Theatre. Since September 2024, the show’s been touring around the country. But unlike Shakespeare’s classic original play, “& Juliet” explores a different possibility of Juliet’s fate. Instead of killing herself, Juliet travels to Paris, where she gets stuck in a love triangle.
Another twist in this rendition is the inclusion of Shakespeare and his wife, Anne Hathaway — not the actress — as characters rewriting Juliet’s story, giving her a gender-nonconforming best friend and even bringing Romeo back from the dead.
The show is a jukebox musical, meaning the songs in the play already existed, like “Domino” by Jessie J and “Can’t Stop The Feeling!” by Justin Timberlake. In this case, the songs are all written by Swedish pop powerhouse Max Martin. Some audience members like Susan Taber enjoyed the show’s modern songbook.
“It’s songs you can sing along with that everybody knows,” Taber said.
But other spectators like Marianne Sandstrom weren’t familiar with the songs before the show. However, Sandstrom said that didn’t stop her from enjoying the discography. Although some of the dialogue was “a little goofy,” Sandstrom said the entire spectacle and actors’ talent made the show a worthwhile experience.
Sandstrom, who attends various productions in Syracuse, said it’s important for audiences to support live performances in the city.
“Well, what else would we do? We have got to have live shows. There’s something so much more than just looking at a screen, just so energizing, so fun,” Sandstrom said.
Juliet takes a stance during her breakout scene where she sings Katy Perry’s “Roar.” “& Juliet” reimagines Shakespeare’s original play by changing Juliet’s fate. Courtesy of Evan Zimmerman
Written by David West Read, “& Juliet” originally premiered in London’s West End in 2019 and has been running on Broadway since 2022. It received generally positive reviews from critics for its clever storytelling and wit and achieved nine nominations at the 2023 Tony Awards, though it won none.
As a season ticket holder at the Landmark, Taber said the show’s modern themes of women empowerment and LGBTQ+ acceptance made it different from any show she’s seen in the past.
Throughout the performance, Shakespeare and Hathaway argue about Juliet’s story; Shakespeare wants Juliet to get back together with Romeo, while Hathaway wants her to stay independent. Juliet’s breakout moment occurs at the end when she decides to write her own destiny, singing Katy Perry’s “Roar.”
For a “girl’s night out,” Michelle Klatt said it was a fitting occasion to see “& Juliet.” Klatt said she enjoyed the plot, especially the twist on the Shakespearean classic.
“It empowers people to kind of think differently, go after what you believe in and what your heart desires,” Klatt said.
Juliet’s best friend in the play, May, is nonbinary and navigates their gender identity through songs like Spears’ “I’m Not a Girl, Not Yet a Woman.” They eventually fall in love with Francois, a friend they meet in Paris.
Seeing the show with a friend who is relatively new to musicals, McCarthy-Szczitka said the songs’ familiarity made “& Juliet” perfect for her friend to digest, having numbers that they already know.
McCarthy-Szczitka also saw the show last year in Buffalo and enjoyed it enough to see it again in Syracuse. She said the show’s contemporary themes make it important for audiences today.
“Having a modern show that really connects to the younger generation is really nice,” McCarthy-Szczitka said. “You can really see yourself and see today’s world in the show.”
