Are you the kind of person who looks for splashy Broadway musicals when you go to New York? Or do you seek out more weighty drama? How you answer those questions has a predictive value for how you would likely feel about “& Juliet” currently at the Ahmanson after 10 years in London and New York. It is still on Broadway. Your demographic may also affect your feelings. Millennial and/or Gen Z might tip you in a more favorable direction. If Sondheim is your idol you will likely be disappointed.
“& Juliet” is a rewrite of “Romeo and Juliet” pushed by Shakespeare’s wife Anne Hathaway (Teal Wicks). Anne has a 20th century feminist point of view and she induces Shakespeare (Corey Mach) to give Juliet agency and have her decide not to kill herself. Not a profound rework of a play about a 13 year-old.
“& Juliet” is a jukebox musical. A monster on-stage jukebox breaks out into a prelude; lights pulse. The music is comprised of 29 well known pop songs by Max Martin. The opening night audience was largely millennial and gen z. They began to enthusiastically react to the first bar of almost every song. Unlike some tin pan alley writers, like Lieber and Stoller, Max Martin is not a household name and few pieces were recognizable, memorable, or meaningful for the rest of us though they have been recorded by many current stars. The expressions of feminism and support of LGBTQ issues are superficial and worn-out woke.
What is memorable is the elaborate and well executed production. Soutra Gilmore’s scenic design is lively. Costumes are varied and bright; scene changes are many and fast. Jennifer Weber’s exuberant, but uninspired, choreography is well executed by an enthusiastic cast. It adds up to a long evening, over two and a half hours, of sound and fury signifying little. But if big musicals with great production values are your thing, enjoy. I think you will. If you are wanting something more profound you may find yourself asking, ‘did this story need a new ending?’ ‘Couldn’t it have been edited down?’ ‘Couldn’t there be more rhythmic variety in 29 songs?’ For me a litmus test of a musical is do I walk out humming? I didn’t.
Karen Weinstein
