ORLANDO, Fla. – “& Juliet” is now playing at the Dr. Phillips Center in Orlando through Jan. 11.
This twist on William Shakespeare’s famous “Romeo and Juliet” tells the story of what would have happened to Juliet had she not killed herself at the end of that epic tale.
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“& Juliet” provides a hilarious commentary on the tug of war between Shakespeare and his wife Anne Hathaway (performed by Crystal Kellogg), who demanded there be an alternate ending, one that empowers Juliet to take back her life.
I loved this performance for several reasons. The acting, choreography and singing kept you laughing and dancing in your seat throughout the show.
The talent on state was overflowing. Juliet is performed by Fabiola Caraballo Quijada. The audience was in awe of her stage presence but when you realize she’s also a recent high school grad, it’s incredible. And for several people in the audience, the show and its cast hit especially close to home.
On opening night, Orlando native Daniel Tracht stepped into the role of Shakespeare. The musical is also loaded with boy band megahits from groups like Orlando’s own Backstreet Boys and NSYNC, including “I Want It That Way,” “Everybody (Backstreet’s Back)” and “It’s Gonna Be Me.”
Perhaps one of the biggest draws is NSYNC’s own Joey Fatone playing a starring role for these Orlando performances as Lance Du Bois.
During opening night, the audience erupted in applause as he made his on-stage debut. I bumped into his Dr. Phillips High School theater teacher, Karen Rugerio, at the Dr. Phillips Center who was beaming with pride and regaled his stellar performance.
The songs in this musical are like a playlist from my teenage years and early 20s. Anyone who knows me knows I LOVE Celine Dion and P!nk. But that’s not all, this jukebox musical is full of hits from Britney Spears (“Oops!...I Did It Again”), Katy Perry (“I Kissed a Girl”), Bon Jovi (“It’s My Life”) and ends with “Can’t Stop the Feeling!” originally performed by Justin Timberlake. By the end of the show, the audience was on their feet, dancing and singing along with the cast.
I was especially intrigued by the jokes and commentary regarding Shakespeare himself.
I recently read Jodi Picoult’s novel, “By Any Other Name” (the title also happens to be a line spoken by Juliet in “Romeo and Juliet”). The premise of the book is that poet Emilia Bassano-Lanier was the actual author of several works credited to William Shakespeare. His so-called “Dark Lady.”
Since it was highly unusually for women to have any work published during that time, Picoult makes several strong arguments supporting her theory. Bassano came from a Venetian family with deep musical roots and many of her unique personal experiences and family names appear in works attributed to Shakespeare. Afterward, I heard several other people in the audience referring to Picoult’s book and viewing this epic tale through that lens.
“& Juliet” is abut three hours long with intermission and is recommended for people ages 8 and older with adult language and themes.
For more information on show times and tickets, click here.