Review of & Juliet

by Katie Beltramo

The musical & Juliet starts with the premise: what if, when she wakes up and finds her beloved Romeo has killed himself, Juliet chooses to live? That's the question Shakespeare's wife poses, and it's the beginning of a whole new story, a musical told with catchy pop hits and energetic dance moves you might see on Tik Tok. This show is so much fun, but there's plenty of depth, too.

The show begins with a play-within-a-play: we meet William Shakespeare and his wife, Anne Hathaway, along with the actors who are about to perform Romeo and Juliet. However, only Shakespeare himself is satisfied with the tragic ending, and they argue over changing it. While Anne advocates for Juliet's survival, Shakespeare literally points to his script and refuses, insisting, "I Want It That Way" to the tune of the Backstreet Boys hit.

The show continues with plot twists as Shakespeare, his wife, and the characters themselves wrestle for control. It's jam-packed with pop hits that are already catchy but breathe with new life as they're slotted into the plot perfectly. "I'm Not a Girl, Not Yet a Woman" is a beautifully poignant ballad by gender-fluid May, "Love Me Like You Do" coming from an ex hits entirely different, and when Angélique the Nurse sings "Fuckin' Perfect" to Juliet, a few audience members couldn't resist whooping and cheering in agreement. There's plenty of romance and a lot of goofy, sometimes bawdy humor that would fly over most kids' heads, like Lance's comically huge fleur de lis codpiece.

Between the pop songs, hip-hop inspired dance moves, and candy-colored palate, this production feels extremely appealing to the tween and teen crowd. But it's so smart that there are nods to the hardcore Shakespeare fans and jokes designed for audience members who were jamming to some of these pop music hits when they first came out. It's a great time for everyone, and during the show my cheeks started hurting from smiling and laughing so much.

The performers are exceptional. Fabiola Caraballo Quijada plays Juliet: a recent high school graduate, she is massively expressive with a soaring voice. There are so many standouts, but I distinctly remember that during Act II, both Crystal Kellogg as Anne and Kathryn Allison as Angélique held notes long enough that I remembered pausing to think, "Wow, this is such a gorgeous, strong note" while the note continued. Meanwhile both Nicholas Edwards as Lance and Josh Fermin as Romeo are hilarious. But here's the thing that got me: the great singers were also pretty darn funny, and the funny guys could also really sing.

I had high expectations for this show, which can sometimes be dangerous, but I'm so glad to report that I loved it.

Things to know and/or talk about before seeing the show:

• It's helpful to have a basic understanding of what happens in Romeo & Juliet.
• Actors start performing on stage before you realize it. Often a musical will start with dramatic lighting or a musical crescendo. In this production, a huge portion of the audience were still chattering through the first several minutes of the show.
• A main character in the musical, May, is nonbinary. If the idea of gender fluidity is new to you or your family members, you can click here to read May Is Very Shakespeare: The Bard Wrote Plenty Of Characters Outside The Gender Binary as an introduction.
• The musical numbers are all taken from pop songs; if you'd like, you can prepare by listening to a playlist of the original songs.
• There are a few swear words sprinkled throughout the production.

 Questions to spark discussion with kids and teens after the show:

• What do you think of the ending of Romeo and Juliet? How about the ending of & Juliet? If you could write a new ending to a story you know, what story would you choose, and what would you write?
• Throughout the musical, Shakespeare quotes himself. Do you recognize any of his sayings? You can find a list of common idioms from Shakespeare here.
• If you didn't read May Is Very Shakespeare: The Bard Wrote Plenty Of Characters Outside The Gender Binary as an introduction, you might read it to help with thinking about Shakespeare's other characters and how gender identity is just a part of their stories.
• How did different characters take control of their own story?
• Can you think of other wives of famous men who may have been overshadowed by their husbands?
• What do you think about the relationship between Juliet and her parents? What about François and his father?

& Juliet is phenomenal. It's comically clever, but also moving, and the actors bring powerhouse voices and tremendous energy to the stage for a massively entertaining production.

&Juliet's North American tour is playing at Proctors, Schenectady, through May 3, 2026, then continuing to several other KidsOutAndAbout regions including Hartford, Milwaukee, Indianapolis, San Antonio, Austin, Charlotte, and more.

For schedule and ticket information, visit andjulietbroadway.com.

© 2026 Katie Beltramo.
Katie Beltramo, a mom of two, is communications director of Kids Out and About. She also blogs at Capital District Fun.

Photos by Evan Zimmerman for MurphyMade, provided by Proctors.