Rachel Simone Webb (on chandelier) and Cast Photo by Matthew Murphy

The above is a not-paltry list of perfectly good reasons to go enjoy a show, and & Juliet succeeds well beyond the reach of many shows with similar ambitions. It popped up in 2019 in London, after a stint in Manchester, and settled into a still-running Broadway production (recently passed the 1,000-performance mark) in 2019. It begins with an ingenious premise. What if Juliet–the one who died for Romeo–decides not to kill herself when she discovers that Romeo is dead? It was all very tragic as cooked up by Shakespeare, but really, these kids had only known each other for a few days, and had their whole lives ahead of them.

To make the plight of these young lovers relatable in the 2020s, and let's face it, to bring in the audience, songs from some of the top pop singers of the previous two decades are interpolated into the narrative. We are talking about songs recorded by Britney Spears, Backstreet Boys, Pink, Katy Perry, Kelley Clarkson, Bon Jovi, Demi Lovato, NSYNC, Justin Timberlake, and others. The common denominator among the songs, aside from their popularity and propulsive beat, is that they were all produced and written by Max Martin, working with a host of collaborators. I admit to feeling like this gambit was a long shot, but, remarkably, the creative team has fit the songs really well into particular plot points, so that it never feels like the narrative has been left behind for the sake of inserting a song.

& Juliet starts off at the premiere performance of Romeo & Juliet, as Shakespeare welcomes the audience with Backstreet Boys' "Larger than Life," and introduces his wife Anne, who has gotten a sitter and made the trip from Stratford to London to attend the opening. It turns out Anne is not there merely to cheer on her husband, but to suggest that his play needs work, and she goes about making changes, beginning with Juliet's decision to live, which she comes to without much difficulty.

When her parents discover that she and Romeo were secretly married and declare that the only respectable recourse now is for her to live the rest of her life in a convent, Juliet flees to Paris. She is joined by her nurse (finally given a name, Angélique), her best friend May, who is non-binary, and a newly invented other best friend named April, who is actually the playwright's wife Anne (inserting herself into the play, to Shakespeare's dismay). When Shakespeare objects to his wife having created a non-binary character, she points out the hypocrisy coming from him, whose plays include an endless parade of cross-dressed characters.

Paris is a breeding ground for further adventures. The quartet from Verona aren't there a minute before they are crashing a party being given for Francois, a brooding young man whose alpha-male father Lance insists that he must choose a wife or join the army. Francois and Juliet form a connection, but then Francois and May also form a connection, and what's more, Angélique and Lance have a history. Crazy, right? We just shrug and go along because it is so much fun. Oh yes, it also turns out that Romeo isn't quite dead after all. All the while, Anne and Will quibble on the sidelines over the changes they are making to the play, with Anne wanting Juliet to emerge as a strong and independent character, mirroring her own yearnings.

Luke Sheppard directs the production with an awareness that the story is full of unbelievable coincidences and stretches credibility like a piece of Turkish taffy, but that it is also sweet as taffy, and that having a good time with the characters, the songs, and the theme of a girl making her own choices as she enters adulthood–and the tandem theme of Anne Shakespeare declaring her personhood to her career-obsessed husband–is a perfectly good reason to put a show on stage. That is, if it's done well, and & Juliet, for the most part, makes smart choices that are ambrosia to its audience.

I mentioned a "star-is-born" grade performance, and that would be Rachel Simone Webb as Juliet. Webb has a strong, stunning voice, delivering all of her vocals with authority, she handles the comedic aspects of her role with a wicked glint in her eyes, and she has the shimmery quality that lets you know that, whenever she is on stage, she is the reason we are all here. She has a fabulous 11 o'clock number in Brittney Spears's hit "Stronger" and a smidge later is back leading the cast in a soaring rendition of the Katy Perry hit "Roar."

This is not to diminish the quality of the rest of the cast. Teal Wicks as Anne and Corey Mach as Shakespeare are both terrific, sing well, display great comedic chops, and enable us to believe these two characters are a couple, albeit one with some issues that need to be faced. Kathryn Allison makes a strong impression as nurse Angélique, with a moment to especially shine singing Pink's "Fuckin' Perfect." She is well matched with Paul-Jordan Jansen, as Lance, who offers a robust bass voice. Their scenes together have the spark of rekindled romantic combustion. Nick Drake as May and Mateus Leite Cardoso as Francois win our affections, pairing off well in the Katy Perry hit "I Kissed a Girl," Adam Lambert's "Whataya Want From Me?," and NSYNC's "It's Gonna Be Me." Daniel J. Maldonado has only recently joined the touring company as Romeo and displays a pleasing voice and strong physical presence. The ensemble works hard, especially given the numerous production numbers that call on their talents.

Jennifer Weber's choreography keeps the crowd in frequent motion, though without particular distinction. The touring band, conducted by Andre Cerullo, is a rock band, as appropriate to the songs employed in the show, comprising a couple of keyboards, guitar, bass and drums, and supplemented with local musicians on violin, viola and cello. The mix sounds great. Paloma Young's costume designs pick up the mantle from Six in which renaissance era apparel is cross-bred with styles that seem suitable for sci fi space travel. It works to add vibrancy and color, if not particularly sense, to the proceedings.

Soutra Gilmour's designs for the sets are fairly simple in themselves, but greatly enhanced in conjunction with Andrzej Goulding's video and projection design and Howard Hudson's lighting design, which add depth, grandeur, and luster to the scenes. The show is loud (given the musical offerings, you oughtn't be surprised), but Gareth Owen's sound design delivers both words and music with clarity, allowing lyrics to be understood even in songs where previously I could never make out the lyrics.

I am not a fan of the music featured in & Juliet, yet I found myself appreciative of how well it works in the context of this show, and thoroughly entertained by its energetic delivery. The book is clever and funny, even though it expresses only facile expressions of important themes: woman–and all gender variants–need to be empowered to make their own choices in love and life, and a happy marriage is one in which both partners put in the work. I admit to entering the Orpheum Theatre expecting, well, not so much, and was happily surprised. & Juliet is not a show that leaves you with deep thoughts, but it is a show that leaves you feeling "that was a blast!"

& Juliet runs through May 18, 2025, at the Orpheum Theatre, 910 Hennepin Avenue, Minneapolis MN. For tickets and information, please call 612-339-7007 or visit hennepintheatretrust.org. For information on the tour, visit www.andjulietbroadway.com.

Music and Lyrics: Max Martin and Friends; Book: David West Read; Director: Luke Sheppard; Choreographer: Jennifer Weber; Music Supervisor, Orchestrations, and Arrangements: Bill Sherman; Scenic Design: Soutra Gilmour; Costume Design: Paloma Young; Lighting Design: Howard Hudson; Sound Design: Gareth Owen; Video and Projection Design: Andrzej Goulding; Hair and Wig Design: J. Jared Janas; Music Director/Conductor: Andre Cerullo; Additional Orchestrations and Arrangements: Dominic Fallacaro; Music Coordinator: Michael Aarons; Associate Music Supervisor: Haley Bennett; Production Supervisor: David Lober; Production Stage Manager: Joel Rosen; Casting: C12 Casting.

Cast: Naima Alakham (Lady Capulet/Nell), Kathryn Allison (Angélique),Camille Brooks (Judith/Rosaline), Mateus Leite Cardoso (Francois), Nella Cole (Eleanor/Benvolio/Portia), Nick Drake (May), Lois Ellise (Susanna), Kenneth Onesimus Goubran (Augustine), Shelby Griswold (Lucy/Helena), Ishmael Gonzalez (Gregory), Christopher Robert Hanford (Henry/Bathroom Attendant), Jourdan Ibe (Lennox), Paul-Jordan Jansen (Lance), Josh Jordan (Richard), Nicole Lamb (Margaret), Corey Mach (Shakespeare), Daniel J. Maldonado (Romeo), Yoshi Maysonet (Dion), Usman Ali Mughal (Lord Capulet/Sly), Jayden Nget (Kempe), Kyra Smith (Titania), Francisco Thurston (Cuthbert), Rachel Simone Webb (Juliet), Teal Wicks (Anne).