Jukebox musicals aren't normally my thing, but Swedish pop meister Max Martin compelled me to overcome that bias with "& Juliet," certainly the cleverest and perhaps most tuneful example of the genre that ever has graced a Broadway stage. Never mind that Stephen Sondheim, for whom the hosting theater is named, probably would shudder over the audience's domination by ear worms. As Noel Coward once observed so astutely: "Extraordinary how potent cheap music is." Especially when it includes "I Want It That Way," "Since You've Been Gone" and "Teenage Dream," all three of which made my "Chiffon Spins A Lifetime" playlist.
Of course one could argue that the English language is dominated by Shakespearean ear worms, a conceit that fuels this delightful romp, performed by a youthful cast as energetic as it is diverse. Book writer David West Read has reversed engineered a plot that incorporates both William his his wife, Ann Hathaway, who insists on making his centuries-old, tragic tale of two star-crossed young lovers into a contemporary story of pun-filled female empowerment. Insipid song lyrics--written by a man for whom English is a second language--adapt startlingly well to this approach and even manage to wryly comment on a creaky classic that remains an essential part of our now threatened monoculture.
Although "& Juliet" may appeal most strongly to people who grew up with Martin songs, Read was savvy enough to realize that their parents probably were forced to listen to his hits on the car radio by their children in the same way that high school English teachers have forced their students to read Romeo & Juliet. He gives the best number to Juliet's nurse, Angelique, and a new character, Lance du Bois, the father of Romeo's replacement, whose name provides the show's funniest gag. Jeanette Bayardelle and Paulo Szot, equally fine, turn "Teenage Dream" into an hysterical bedroom lament that had every old geezer in the audience, including me, grinning from ear to ear.
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