The Broadway musical “& Juliet” earns that ampersand.
It’s a legit hit on the Great White Way AND in the West End.
It’s set in the Elizabethan Period AND it’s also sooooo firmly in our time.
It’s Shakespeare AND it’s jukebox musical with chart-toppers from the likes of Britney Spears, Bon Jovi, *NSYNC, Céline Dion, Justin Timberlake, Ariana Grande, Pink, The Weeknd, Demi Lovato and more.
Those hits are the work of Swedish pop music composer Max Martin and include irresistible earworms such as “Oops!…I Did It Again,” “I Kissed a Girl,” “Since U Been Gone,” “That’s the Way It Is,” “Can’t Feel My Face,” “As Long as You Love Me,” “It’s My Life” and more. Much more.
The national tour is currently playing Miami’s Adrienne Arsht Center for the Performing Arts through Jan. 4, 2026. Then there will be a run at Fort Lauderdale’s Broward Center for the Performing Arts Jan. 13-25, 2026.
The Broadway musical “& Juliet” is playing Miami’s Arsht Center through Jan. 4, 2026 and then will play Fort Lauderdale’s Broward Center Jan.13-25, 2026. (Evan Zimmerman/Courtesy)
Martin’s songbook is deftly deployed to reimagine the whole “Romeo & Juliet” saga. William Shakespeare finds himself in a write-off with his wife, Anne Hathaway. The two creatively joust as the story changes: Juliet does not kill herself, but rather runs off to Paris with her nurse and a bestie.
“She has her whole life ahead of her,” says Anne Hathaway. “She’s only had one boyfriend.”
To go into more detail would be an unforgivable spoiler, but what can be said is that while initially you get the feeling that the production is a grand retelling of the Disney Channel’s “High School Musical,” that will quickly give way to something that hits a little harder.
If Shakespeare had written a sitcom for a streaming network, this seems pretty close to what it would be. That’s not throwing Shakes-shade — quite the opposite, the jokes and comedy bits land perfectly with Gen Z, Gen Alpha and maybe even some “mad lit” Millennials.
It’s super silly (in the best way) as opposed to supercilious (in that highfalutin “theatuh” way).
“& Juliet” is a crowd pleaser with lots of seat-dancing, head rocking, toe-tapping and lip-syncing in the audience. Even the choreography has bop-till-you-drop Tik Tok energy. As for the music, the sound is seemingly set on 11; You’ll feel the boom. And if hearing a harpsichord with a Katy Perry or Backstreet Boys tune doesn’t bring a smile to your face, then you’re dead inside.
Fabiola Caraballo Quijada and the company of the North American Tour of the Broadway musical “& Juliet.” (Evan Zimmerman/Courtesy)
In that same vein the visuals are amusingly anachronistic, carrying a vibe of bubblegum, neon pops of color, fizzy drinks and “what are those” sneakers — as if the whole show has been shot back and forth through a wormhole … a few times.
And that is where “& Juliet” lets its feminist fabulousness shine. Juliet and the other women (as well as a gender-bending supporting character) wind their way toward triumphant independence in the narrative. The journey feels right for our zappy zeitgeist.
But it also must be said, while you won’t exactly get Bard-bored, the musical is allllllmost epic long with a performance time a little over two-and-a-half hours.
“& Juliet” could shave a few minutes off here and there throughout the two acts … and still keep its and-ness.
IF YOU GO
WHERE:
COST:
The ticket price range at the Arsht Center is $58.50-$193.05
The ticket price range at the Broward Center is $60.48-$184.38
INFO: arshtcenter.org, browardcenter.org
Evan Zimmerman
The company of the North American Tour of the Broadway musical “& Juliet,” which is playing both Miami and Fort Lauderdale. (Evan Zimmerman/Courtesy)