Corey Mach and the company of the North American Tour of & JULIET, which opens at the Orpheum Theatre in Minneapolis on May 13. Photo by Matthew Murphy.

“Like a shot of pure gold.” That’s how Variety magazine’s Christian Lewis summarized & Juliet, a hilarious new musical running at the Orpheum Theatre in Minneapolis from May 13-18. This  deep dive into William Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet asks the question “What if Juliet survived?”

If you’re riffing on a classic, you should double down, and that’s what writers Max Martin and Friends (yes, that is the official credit) have done. Like Moulin Rouge, & Juliet is a jukebox musical that anchors its spin on the familiar with Top 40 classics old and new. Juliet being a young teenager in the original play, her personal soundtrack has a certain attitude, with Katy Perry’s “Teenage Dream”, Britney Spears’ “Oops! …I Did It Again”, the Backstreet Boys’ “Show Me the Meaning of Being Lonely”, “22” by Taylor Swift and “I Don’t Believe You” by P!nk, to name just a few.

The plot of & Juliet, in brief, is a story-within-a-story when William Shakespeare and his wife Anne Hathaway debate an alternate ending of Romeo and Juliet. Upon awakening to a dead Romeo at the play’s climax, what if Juliet survived and learned a little more about her would-be lover, rather than stabbing herself after a romance lasting just a few days?

As it turns out, the path not taken can be an uproariously funny one. In short order, Juliet learns that Romeo was bad news and a bit of a jerk – and rather “adventurous” in his dating habits. A distraught Juliet frees to libertine Paris, where she has her own awakening. And it gets complicated. And more complicated. Meanwhile, in the framing narrative, William and Anne realize something new and important about their own relationship.

For maximal humor, do not read a synopsis of & Juliet before seeing the show – just sit back and wait for the plot twists and pop anthems to rock your world. And your +1’s.

—

& Juliet runs May 13-18 at the Orpheum Theatre in Minneapolis, MN.

• About
• Latest Posts

Basil Considine

Basil Considine was the Editor of the Twin Cities Arts Reader from 2018-2022. He served as Performing Arts Editor and Senior Classical Music and Drama Critic for the Arts Reader's first five years, before succeeding Hanne Appelbaum. He was previously the Resident Classical Music and Drama Critic at the Twin Cities Daily Planet and remains an occasional contributing writer for The Boston Musical Intelligencer and The Chattanoogan. He holds a PhD in Music and Drama from Boston University, an MTS in Sacred Music from the BU School of Theology, and a BA in Music and Theatre from the University of San Diego.

Basil was named one of Musical America's 30 Professionals of the Year in 2017. He was previously the Regional Governor for the National Opera Association's North Central Region and the 2021-2022 U.S. Fulbright Faculty Scholar to Madagascar.

Latest posts by Basil Considine (see all)

• PREVIEW: Ribald, Funny & Juliet Coming Soon (Orpheum/Hennepin Arts) - April 30, 2025
• REVIEW: Moving, Funny, Striking English (Guthrie Theater) - July 22, 2024
• REVIEW: The Time for Newsies is Now (Artistry) - July 21, 2024