What If Shakespeare’s Juliet Got A Second Shot? New Broadway Musical ‘& Juliet’ Explores Life After Romeo

When David West Read, the Emmy-winning writer of Schitt’s Creek, pitched a new musical to songwriting guru Max Martin, the force behind mega hits like Katy Perry’s “Roar” and Britney Spears’ “…Baby One More Time,” he had an idea to turn a Shakespeare classic on its head.

Picture this. It’s 1595. William Shakespeare has just finished Romeo and Juliet. As this epic play is about to be performed for the first time, he explains the piece to his wife, Anne Hathaway. (No connection to the present-day-actress.) But Hathaway has some notes and ideas on how to change the ending.

Hathaway asks, “What if Juliet didn’t end her life? What if she gets a second chance on her own terms instead?”

Once they had Martin’s pop songs and West Read’s book, music supervisor and orchestrator director Bill Sherman, Luke Sheppard and Emmy-winning choreographer Jennifer Weber signed on.

That’s how the joyful, funny, clever and heartfelt new Broadway musical & Juliet came to be. “Max is so humble, most people don’t know that this one person is behind so much of the music that we hear constantly all over the world,” says West Read. “Much like Shakespearean plays, I thought, ‘How could one person create all this?’”

Plus, West Read saw the universality and timeless quality of the story — similar to Martin’s music. “It was really interesting for me to think about telling a story about the creative process of someone, like Max, who is the Shakespeare of pop music,” he says. Also, so much pop music is about young love and heartbreak. “So Juliet seemed like the ideal character to anchor all of these songs,” he adds.

Also, the idea of second chances really spoke to West Read. “Juliet didn’t have a much of a shot the first time. It was a three day story and then it was over,” he observes. “There’s something about second chances that I think everyone can relate to, especially given what we have been going through as a culture these past few years.”

& Juliet originated in England at the Manchester Opera House, then moved to the West End and won three Olivier Awards. This Broadway-bound production debuted last summer at the Princess of Wales Theatre in Toronto, where it broke box office records. Now in previews at the Stephen Sondheim Theatre, & Juliet opens on November 17.

Executive produced on Broadway by Eva Price, the & Juliet cast includes Lorna Courtney as Juliet, Betsy Wolfe as Anne Hathaway, Paulo Szot, Stark Sands, Justin David Sullivan, Melanie La Barrie, Ben Jackson Walker and Philippe Arroyo. Fifteen members of the 25-person company will make their Broadway debut with & Juliet.

“I hope that people take away that authenticity is the most important thing,” says Justin David Sullivan, who plays May. “If you’re not living your life your own way or authentically yourself, things are so much harder.

“I hope the audience walks away feeling like they can trust themselves, own themselves, be themselves and all their different facets,” adds Philippe Arroyo, who plays the character of François.

One year ago when she learned about & Juliet, Courtney, whose Broadway credits includes Dear Evan Hansen and the revival of West Side Story, was auditioning and working at a gym. “I was reading the script with my best friend and her mom. And I remember her mom telling me, ‘Lorna, you have to get this.’ I thought, ‘Yes. It is the perfect story to tell, because so many people can relate to all our characters. The show is so empowering and uplifting,’” she says.

Courtney was also emboldened by Anne Hathaway’s story in & Juliet. “My character is a reflection of Anne’s character. We parallel. She gives me a second chance and I find my voice through her magic of rewriting this story,” explains Courtney. “Then that makes my life renewed,” adds Wolfe. “I love that I, in some way, am trying to rewrite the narrative for Juliet because I would have loved to have more agency myself.”

As Wolfe sees it, & Juliet audiences will get everything they would from a pop concert, including pyrotechnics and glitter. “But what I think shocks people is that they’re genuinely moved and transcended with an experience that only happens in live theater,” says Wolfe. “We transport people to this other place and give them hope.”