I was introduced to the soundtrack of “&Juliet” during the pandemic. It popped up on my Amazon music “for you” playlist and I found it to be fun. Of course, the music is iconic and I found myself listening to it over and over again. I figured that the story had something to do with Shakespeare’s “Romeo & Juliet” and I never thought about it anymore. When it was announced that this show was coming to Shea’s Buffalo Theatre, I was very excited because I wanted to see how these songs that I grew up with – written by the great Max Martin & Friends – would be used to tell a classic story. I was shocked to see how cool this show actually was. 

“&Juliet” tells the story of William Shakespeare (Corey Mach) and Anne Hathaway (Teal Wicks) as they take the Bard’s tale of two young lovers and flip the script to give Juliet (Rachel Simone Webb) a chance to make her own decisions and control her own fate and not have the ideals of a young brash pompous Romeo (Michael Canu)  to control her. The story also takes place after Romeo is dead. . .talk about drama! Shakespeare and Hathaway enter and exit the story as they recraft the plot, all the while slipping in their own spin to the new work. Peppered with a bunch of awesome songs you grew up listening to on the radio, this is a fantastic evening of theatre!

Leading the show as Juliet is Rachel Simone Webb. Talk about a voice! Angels smiled down upon the theatre when she sang. Her take on the character is fantastic and she does a great job conveying the inner turmoil that she is experiencing. She made great artistic choices for this character we all thought we knew. 

Corey Mach is hilarious as Shakespeare. It was very amusing when he would incorporate more of the Bard’s conflict into the story in creative ways. He has a great voice and nice comedic timing.

Teal Wicks is a powerhouse as Anne. Having followed her theatrical career from afar, it was awesome to see her perform here in Buffalo. She’s got one heck of a voice and does a great job as the justice seeking wife of the neglectful Shakespeare.

Mateus Leite Cardoso does a fantastic job as Francois, having the time of his life up there on stage and giving a wonderful performance of some of the 90s’ greatest hits!

The book by David West Read is a very nice, socially aware, and unique take on the tragic tale. It is refreshing. 

This show is a glittery good time and a creative take. It’s not your high school English Shakespeare. . .it’s good! 

Advisory: Some adult language and suggestive themes.

Running Time: 2 Hours 30 Minutes with one 15-minute intermission.

“&Juliet” runs until November 24, 2024 and is presented at Shea’s Buffalo Theatre. For more information, click here.