Strong Women, Modern Music, Great Voices & Funny

Reviewed by Mary Alderson

To really enjoy & Juliet, you need to be familiar with the original Romeo & Juliet. You know, the one by William Shakespeare where they end up dead. And then forget it, and suspend your belief in Shakespearean literature.

& Juliet is a wonderful comedic romp, with energetic music and clever humour. The story features both the characters found in the original Romeo & Juliet, and the characters Shakespeare himself and his long-suffering wife Anne Hathaway. None of them are doing anything particularly Shakespearean.

& Juliet, featuring a brilliant Canadian cast, is currently on stage at the Royal Alexandra Theatre, a Mirvish production, in Toronto.

I first saw & Juliet when the original production was  at Mirvish before it moved to Broadway in 2022. I loved the humour. It was reminiscent of the way Wayne & Schuster made fun of classic literature. This writer is as funny as Wayne & Shuster, adding a twist to Shakespeare’s Romeo & Juliet, using familiar Shakespearean phrases and creating silly but hilarious responses. The author of & Juliet is Canadian David West Read and he knows award-winning comedy, having been a writer with the much-lauded TV series Schitt’s Creek.

The music in & Juliet is all written or co-written by Swedish record producer and songwriter Karl Martin Sandberg, professionally known as Max Martin. The songs were written over the last 20 to 25 years, and have been made famous by the likes of Katy Perry, Britney Spears, Justin Timberlake, Bon Jovi, Pink, Kelly Clarkson, Ariana Grande, Celine Dion, Demi Lovato, Backstreet Boys and others. & Juliet rocks a myriad of popular songs, and the lyrics have been brilliantly woven into the plot.

The plot centres around Juliet herself, and Anne Hathaway, Shakespeare’s wife. Both women are tired of being at the mercy of men. Anne is a strong woman, tired of raising the kids alone in Stratford. She wants to join Will in London get credit for some of the work she’s done on Will’s plays. She wants Juliet to live at the end of the play, and continue her life as a strong, independent woman.

The key to the success of this Canadian cast is their high energy. The powerhouse singing and dynamic dancing are phenomenal.

Julia McLellan as Anne owns the stage. Her performance is funny and brilliant, but it’s her singing you will remember. She sings Celine Dion’s song “That’s the Way It Is” with the same power and beauty of Celine Dion, offering all the emotion. McLellan was part of Kinky Boots in Toronto, before joining the national tour and then the Broadway cast. She has an amazing resume of theatres across Canada.

Similarly, Vanessa Sears as Juliet belts the songs, sounding just like the pop singers who made them famous. She covers songs like Britney Spears’ “Baby One More Time” and “Oops! … I did it again” and many others. Sears, too, will be remembered for her role as the girlfriend in Toronto’s Kinky Boots and other shows.

Another of the strong women is Sarah Nairne as Angelique, who is actually Juliet’s Nurse (or nanny). Nairne is brilliantly funny as her past life is revealed.

And yes, there are hilarious men in the show, too. George Krissa is the arrogant Shakespeare, so sure that only he can write great plays. David Silvestri is a comedic pleasure with a lovely singing voice, and David Jeffery is excellent as the tossed-aside Romeo who comes back from the dead. Matt Raffy as May with the long golden hair and Brandon Antonio as Francois are delightful. Both Raffy and Antonio were part of the original cast in 2022 and went with the show to Broadway. Nice to have them back in Canada to continue this show.

Now, don’t worry about the aforementioned strong women taking over the show. The men get to shine, too, (quite literally in sparkles and sequins) when they form a boy band and sing “Everybody (Backstreet’s Back)”.

The rest of the cast dance with unbelievable energy and sing perfectly.

This musical is well worth it, if you like to laugh and you enjoy top-notch singing and dancing. It has been extended to July 5, but book now as it is so popular. You will be wowed.

& Juliet continues with eight shows a week at the Royal Alexandra Theatre, 260 King St. W., Toronto, Ontario until July 5 or may be extended. Call 1-800-461-3333 or visit www.mirvish.com  for tickets.

Photo: George Krissa as Will Shakespeare, Vanessa Sears as Juliet, Julia McLellan as Anne Hathaway, and Sarah Nairne as Angelique (Nurse). Photos by Dahlia Katz.

& Juliet
Music and Lyrics by Max Martin and Friends
Book by David West Read
Directed by Luke Sheppard
Musical Supervision and arrangements by Bill Sherman
Choreography by Jennifer Weber
Music Direction by Elizabeth Baird
Performed by Venessa Sears, David Silvestri, Julia McLellan, George Kriss, Matt Raffy, Sarah Nairne, David Feffery, Brandon Antonio, Sam Boucher, Mariah Campos, Celeste Catena, Elysia Cruz, Sacccha Dennis Ryer Nick Desaulnier, Emry Harland, Taran Kim, Jade Kimaya, Caitlyn MacInnis, Eric Martin, Stewart Adam McKensy, Patrick Park, Adam Sergison, McKenna Warwick, Tiera Lee Watts
Mirvish Production
Royal Alexandra Theatre, 260 King St W, Toronto
December 14, 2025 and extended to July 5, 2026
Reviewed by Mary Alderson