2019 Manchester 2019 West End 2022 Toronto 2022 Broadway 2023 Melbourne 2024 UK & Ireland tour 2024 US tour 2024 Hamburg
& Juliet is a 2019 jukebox musical featuring the music of Swedish pop songwriter Max Martin, with a book by David West Read. In the plot, Anne Hathaway negotiates with her husband, William Shakespeare, to change the ending to Romeo and Juliet so that Juliet does not kill herself. Juliet's parents plan to send her to a convent, so she flees to Paris, accompanied by her nurse, a friend and Anne herself, who writes herself into the play as a new character, "April". Shakespeare resists Anne's ideas, and the story unfolds as a tug-of-war between the two writers, with Juliet consequently buffeted between lovers and advisers, as Anne seeks a happy ending for her.
William Shakespeare is celebrated by the cast, at his first production of Romeo and Juliet, and welcomes the audience to his newest play ("Larger than Life"). Shakespeare introduces his wife, Anne Hathaway, who is visiting from Stratford-upon-Avon to see the play. She suggests he change the ending, wondering what would have happened if Juliet did not kill herself; Shakespeare greets the idea with displeasure ("I Want It That Way"). Nevertheless, he allows his wife to explain her idea for the further events of the play, beginning with Juliet waking up to find Romeo dead ("...Baby One More Time").
At Romeo's funeral, Juliet finds out that Romeo had many other relationships, with both men and women ("Show Me the Meaning of Being Lonely") and, upon learning of their forbidden relationship, Juliet's parents decide they will send her to a convent. May, Juliet's non-binary friend, and Angelique, her nurse, come to her rescue, while Anne writes herself into the play as "April", another of Juliet's friends. The four of them decide to take a road trip to Paris ("Domino"). Anne writes Shakespeare into the story as the carriage driver, and the trip to Paris begins ("Show Me Love").
In France, a party is planned for Francois du Bois, a sensitive young musician. His father, Lance, tells him he must either marry or join the army, even though Francois does not wish to pursue either option. Juliet, Angelique, May, and April sneak into the party ("Blow"). Francois notices their arrival but does not mind them crashing his party. May tells Juliet about their struggles as a non-binary person in a binary world ("I'm Not a Girl, Not Yet a Woman"). Francois and Juliet begin to bond about their stifled lives and shared experiences ("Overprotected"). Francois finds himself attracted to Juliet, and they dance together ("Confident").
Angelique and Lance spend the night together, and it is revealed that she was formerly the nurse to his children. Lance asks her to stay, while Angelique wants to continue to mentor Juliet ("Teenage Dream/Break Free"). Juliet wakes up next to Francois, who proposes, but Juliet worries about rushing into a new relationship so soon after her tumultuous romance with Romeo ("Oops!... I Did It Again"). When her parents arrive to take her to the convent, however, she quickly accepts Francois's proposal. Anne is irritated that Shakespeare has taken up the quill to force Juliet into another abrupt marriage; she complains that he never writes about happy marriages.
Determined to introduce a conflict or a plot twist to Anne's version of the play, Shakespeare has Francois and May meet again. After the two share a sudden kiss, they both feel conflicted ("I Kissed a Girl"). Complicating situations, Shakespeare decides to bring Romeo back from the dead, despite Anne's protests. Romeo makes a flashy entrance, saying that he has come back for his wife ("It's My Life").
Act Two
The narcissistic Romeo finds Juliet, "forgives" her for not killing herself, and demands that she return to the marriage ("Love Me Like You Do"). Juliet reveals to Romeo that she is engaged to Francois ("Since U Been Gone"). Shakespeare is frustrated with Anne because Juliet did not submit to Romeo's view of events. Anne counters that giving Juliet's story a happy ending is important to her and protests that Shakespeare cares more about his plays than his family. Anne breaks Shakespeare's quill, so that neither of them can make further changes to the story. Meanwhile, May is annoyed that Francois is ignoring May's feelings and still planning on marrying Juliet ("Whataya Want From Me"), while Juliet complains to May that Romeo lied to and cheated on her. Francois is conflicted and increasingly uneasy because he hasn't told Juliet about his feelings for May.
Juliet meets again with Romeo, who reflects that he only ever felt valued for his looks and says that Juliet made him want to be a better person ("One More Try"). Despite their recent bonding, Juliet remains uncertain of her feelings towards Romeo ("Problem/Can't Feel My Face"). Francois's brother (in fact Shakespeare in disguise) invites Romeo to join the family band, which is booked to play at Juliet and Francois's wedding. Angelique, in the meantime, proposes to Lance.
Anne discovers that Juliet is still in love with Romeo and recounts her own romance with Shakespeare ("That's the Way It Is"). At the wedding, Lance, Francois, Shakespeare, May, and Romeo perform ("Everybody"). Francois begins to read his vows to Juliet ("As Long as You Love Me"). However, they both change their minds about getting married, and Francois confesses his feelings for May ("It's Gonna Be Me"). This prompts Romeo to again profess his love for Juliet, while her parents insist she return to Verona with them, which Juliet refuses to do ("Stronger"). Lance apologizes to Francois for trying to contol his actions and accepts his and May's relationship ("Shape of My Heart"). Angelique reassures Juliet that she will never leave her ("Fuckin' Perfect"), but Juliet insists Angelique go with Lance, before taking charge of her own destiny ("Roar").
Shakespeare complains that Anne has ruined his play, and that he only brought back Romeo to give Juliet the happy ending he thought Anne wanted. Anne refutes this, saying she wants Juliet to be able to make her own choices. Realizing he has hurt Anne, Shakespeare apologizes ("I Want It That Way – Reprise"). Shakespeare and Anne agree there does not need to be a conclusive ending, rather a new beginning. Romeo apologizes to Juliet, and they decide to go on a first date, while Angelique and Lance get married, and Francois and May begin a relationship ("Can't Stop the Feeling!").
& Juliet is a jukebox musical and features existing music co-written by Max Martin, except for the new original song "One More Try", performed on the cast recording by Jessie J.
The show transferred to the West End at the Shaftesbury Theatre on 2 November 2019, in previews, ahead of an official opening on 20 November 2019.[23] All of the cast from the Manchester run of the show transferred for the West End engagement, directed by Luke Sheppard.[24]
On 16 March 2020, the show suspended production due to the COVID-19 pandemic.[25]& Juliet resumed performances on 24 September 2021.[26] All of the main cast returned to the show, with the exception of Blair-Mangat, whose role as May was taken over by Alex Thomas-Smith.[27]
On 26 March 2022, La Barrie, Bedella and Gage departed & Juliet.[28] The role of Nurse/Angelique was played by Keala Settle, in her West End debut, from 29 March until 18 June 2022.[29] Julius D'Silva was cast as Lance and Tom Francis was cast as Romeo.[30]
The West End production closed on 25 March 2023.[31]
Toronto (2022, 2025–present)
& Juliet had a pre-Broadway engagement at the Princess of Wales Theatre in Toronto, Canada.[32] The North American debut was originally scheduled to open in February 2021, but was postponed as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. It opened on 22 June 2022, and ran through 14 August 2022.[33]
& Juliet is set to return to Toronto with an all-Canadian cast, with performances at the Royal Alexandra Theatre scheduled to begin in December 2025.[35]
Following a pre-Broadway engagement in Toronto,[32] the show opened on Broadway at the Stephen Sondheim Theatre, with previews on 28 October 2022 ahead of an official opening on 17 November 2022.[36] The producers on Broadway are Max Martin, Tim Headington, Theresa Steele Page, Jenny Petersson, Martin Dodd, Eva Price, Lukasz Gottwald, 42nd.club (Phil Kenny, Tom McGrath and Marc Hershberg), Independent Presenters Network, Jack Lane, Library Company, Shellback, Shivhans Pictures, Sing Out, Louise!, Kim Szarzynski, Taylor/Riegler, Tenenbaum/Keyes, Barry Weiss and John Gore Organization.[37] On 2 May 2023, the production received nine Tony Award nominations, including Best Musical.[38]
Melbourne (2023)
Its first Australian performances were at the Regent Theatre in February 2023.[6] The Australian cast starred Lorinda May Merrypor as Juliet, with Rob Mills as Shakespeare, Amy Lehpamer as Anne/April, Casey Donovan as Angelique the Nurse, Hayden Tee as Lance, Blake Appelqvist as Romeo, Jesse Dutlow as May and Yashith Fernando as Francois.[39]
The show opened with previews on 26 February 2023, ahead of an official opening on 9 March 2023,[39] before closing on 29 July 2023,[40] with the show having been set to reopen for a run at Singapore's Sands Theatre in Marina Bay in September.[41]
Singaporean and Australian Tour (2023–2024)
Following the closure of the Melbourne production, the Australian cast toured to Singapore, opening on 21 September at the Sands Theatre in Marina Bay; it closed on 15 October 2023.[42] It continued to the Crown Theatre in Perth, opening on 30 December 2023.[43] It then had previews from 27 February to 6 March 2024, before an official opening on 8 March at the Sydney Lyric.[44][45] The Australian production closed in Sydney on 12 July 2024.
UK tour (2024–2025)
A UK tour began at the musical's original venue, the Manchester Opera House, on 8 July 2024, before continuing across the UK and Ireland.[46]
North American Tour (2024–present)
A North American tour began in Baltimore, Maryland, on 22 September 2024.[47] Rachel Webb starred as Juliet, with Corey Mach as Shakespeare, Paul-Jordan Jansen as Lance, Teal Wicks as Anne/April, Nick Drake as May, Kathryn Allison as Angelique, Michael Canu as Romeo and Mateus Leite Cardoso as Francois. The producers of the North American tour are Max Martin, Tim Headington, Theresa Steele Page, Jenny Petersson, Martin Dodd, Eva Price, Lukasz Gottwald, 42nd.club (Phil Kenny, Tom McGrath and Marc Hershberg), Independent Presenters Network, Jack Lane, Library Company, Shellback, Shivhans Pictures, Sing Out, Louise!, Kim Szarzynski, Taylor/Riegler, Tenenbaum/Keyes, Barry Weiss and John Gore Organization
A German production titled & Julia[48][49] stars Chiara Fuhrmann as Juliet, with Willemijn Verkaik as Anne/April, Raphael Groß as Romeo and Andreas Bongard as Shakespeare.[9] It opened at the Operettenhaus in Hamburg on 30 October 2024.[48][49] Its Hamburg run is scheduled to close in early 2026.[50]
Planned productions
A Swedish production titled & Julia is set to begin in February 2026, starring Joanné Nugas as Juliet, Viktor Norén as Shakespeare and Oscar Zia as Romeo. [51]
Reception
& Juliet's West End run, which began officially on 20 November 2019, opened to generally mixed reviews, with criticism centered on its shallow plot and lack of meaningful themes. However, the cast, crew, and music received some praise. The show was also praised for its representation of a non-binary character.[52]
& Juliet had positive reviews upon its Broadway release 17 November 2022. Some praised its high energy and its easy and fun tone, calling it a "breath of fresh air" for the general populace during the tumultuous time which it was released in. It was also praised for the diverse casting and its sense of humour.[53] However, others critiqued the immaturity of its politics and the lack of clear foundation, and saying that the spectacle is "overcompensating."[54]
The show opened to positive reviews in Melbourne, with critics citing strong cast performances and the music as the show's strengths, despite the book's weaknesses.[55]
↑ "Sverigepremiär för Max Martins musikal & Julia"[Swedish premiere of Max Martin’s musical & Julia.] (Press release) (in Swedish). MyNewsdesk. Bindefeld Kommunikation. 30 August 2024. Retrieved 14 February 2025.
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