Strolling into & Juliet, I wasn’t fairly positive what to anticipate. I’m not the most important fan of jukebox musicals and undoubtedly not the goal demo. I’d actually somewhat watch paint dry than take heed to ’90s pop music.
However man, was I unsuitable.
Every part concerning the present was a blast. The solid was unbelievable, the tune decisions couldn’t have been higher, and the story was filled with surprises.
The present just about begins the place Romeo and Juliet ends, although not with no few intelligent twists. We discover William Shakespeare (CJ Eldred) proudly presenting his freshly completed tragedy, solely to be challenged by his sharp-witted spouse, Anne (Crystal Kellogg). She’s not precisely thrilled that Juliet dies in the long run and questions why her destiny needs to be so closing. Ultimately, Anne persuades Shakespeare to reimagine his story, giving Juliet a second likelihood at life and love.
From there, the present bursts into motion. Juliet (Fabiola Caraballo Quijada), newly revived and rethinking her future, refuses to just accept the life others deliberate for her. When her dad and mom threaten to ship her off to a nunnery, she decides to take management of her personal story. With the assistance of her loyal Nurse Angelique (Kathryn Allison), greatest good friend Might (Nico Ochoa), and Anne, who has now written her method into the story, Juliet units off for Paris to dwell life on her personal phrases.
As soon as in Paris, the group crosses paths with the candy however awkward Frankie (Noah Marlowe) and his father, Lance (Paul-Jordan Jansen), who seems to share a romantic previous with Angelique.
Written by David West Learn and directed by Luke Sheppard, the present strikes at a brisk, energetic tempo. Shepard retains issues snappy and fluid, by no means letting the momentum dip for lengthy.
The songs, together with hits from artists like *NSYNC, Backstreet Boys, and Katy Perry, all come from the pop mastermind Max Martin, and so they match surprisingly properly into the story. I particularly liked that the creators didn’t restrict themselves to 1 artist’s catalog, which gave them the liberty to decide on songs that greatest serve the characters and scenes. The right instance? When Juliet belts out Britney Spears’ “Oops!… I Did It Once more,” a hilarious second that introduced down the home.
Quijada’s Juliet is sassy, good, and filled with coronary heart, and he or she’s acquired the vocal energy to fill the Civic Theatre. But it surely’s Kellogg and Allison who in the end steal the present. Allison’s Angelique and Jansen’s Lance share a laugh-out-loud duet within the first act that’ll have you ever guffawing from begin to end. And Kellogg’s Anne is aware of how one can steal a scene. at any time when she’s on stage, your eyes can’t assist however comply with her to see what she’ll do subsequent. When each are on stage, your eyes instantly dart to them since you actually need to see what they’re going to do subsequent.
& Juliet is at the moment enjoying on the San Diego Civic Theatre. For more information and tickets: Broadway San Diego
