Corey Mach and Cast Photo by Matthew Murphy

Now, if you are expecting anything vaguely Shakespearean about & Juliet, put that thought out of your mind immediately, for–other than a few offhand references to some of the Bard's well-known lines–the only things Elizabethan about & Juliet are some of the characters and the costumes they wear. And even those (designed by Paloma Young) have been filtered through a post-modern lens that gives them the look of the sort of Elizabethan drag one might wear at a hip-hop/punk-infused renaissance faire.

If any show requires a willing suspension of disbelief, it's & Juliet, for the show feels absolutely zero compunction about its characters hopping aboard an open-air carriage for a 600-mile journey, showing Paris with landmarks (the Eiffel Tower, the Moulin Rouge) that didn't appear until almost 300 years after the first production of Romeo and Juliet. And that's not including the fact that we see cell phones, a DJ booth, portable music players, and headphones among other anachronistic props.

All of this I can forgive in & Juliet's quest to show audiences a good time. Much of that good time comes from the music of Swedish songwriter and producer Max Martin, who recently passed John Lennon as the songwriter with the most number one hits all time, leaving him behind only Paul McCartney on that rarefied list. Even a relative geezer like me was able to pick out hit after hit over the course of 2-1/2 hours (with intermission), as bookwriter Read has arranged Martin's songs to help propel the story of Juliet's journey forward, and give her character the oomph Shakespeare never imbued her with.

The show begins by introducing Shakespeare himself (played with unctuous, egotistical charm by Corey Mach) at the first performance of Romeo and Juliet. But before things can get underway, Shakespeare's wife Anne (Teal Wicks) thinks (in rather Hollywood executive fashion) that the show deserves a more upbeat ending, which she and the cast express via the Backstreet Boys' hit, "I Want It That Way."

We then dive into the alternate version, finding Juliet (Rachel Simone Webb) awakening to find Romeo dead next to her, as she sings the Britney Spears smash, "...Baby One More Time. At Romeo's funeral, a host of former lovers, male and female, come to weep over his coffin. When Juliet's parents threaten to send her to a nunnery (which in Elizabethan times was slang for a brothel, but here it refers only to a convent), Juliet and her new friends April (Teal Wicks as Anne taking on a role in this new play-within-the-play) and May (Nick Drake), a gender non-binary character, head off with Juliet's nurse, Angélique (Kathryn Allison), to Paris, where the four crash a ball being held for a young Frenchman named François (Mateus Leite Cardoso), whose father Lance (Paul-Jordan Jansen) has given the lad two options: marriage or the military, neither of which appeal to him.

From here the show trots along, with pop hit after hit being sung by a talented cast amid an eclectic, colorful set (by scenic designer Soutra Gilmour). As each character seeks love and connection, Martin's music imbues the proceedings with undeniable energy. "Oops!...I Did It Again," "Can't Feel My Face," "Roar" "As Long As You Love Me," and more than a dozen more recognizable tunes fill the Orpheum's vast interior.

The cast is strong, led by Rachel Simone Webb's powerful presence and soaring voice. As May, Nick Drake brings a wondrously touching presence to their non-binary character. Teal Wicks plays Anne Hathaway with such vigor that it's no wonder Mach's Shakespeare is continuously cowed by her. But my favorite performance of the night might have been Paul-Jordan Jansen's portrayal of François's grumpy father, Lance. Jansen has the bulk of a heavyweight MMA fighter, but somehow manages to pull off some of the best physical comedy of the night, revealing a marvelous delicacy underneath his brawn.

& Juliet is at its best when it doesn't take itself too seriously, which, thankfully, it rarely does. There is a delightful undercurrent of feminine empowerment, but it has a tendency to get a little preachy as act two drags on, and by jackhammering home what is an important message, undermines its very noble intent.

& Juliet runs through July 27, 2025, at BroadwaySF's Orpheum Theatre, 1182 Market Street, San Francisco CA. The show plays Tuesdays-Saturdays at 7:30pm, and Wednesdays, Saturdays and Sundays at 1:00pm. Tickets range from $57.92-$270.03. For tickets and information, please call the box office at 888-746-1799 or visit broadwaysf.com. For information on the tour, visit andjulietthemusical.com.