Boston musical explores Juliet's life if she survived Romeo
BOSTON - What would happen if Shakespeare's Juliet chose not to end her life? That's the question the musical "& Juliet" tries to answer.
What if Juliet lived?
The new take on the tragic story about star-crossed lovers uses the music catalog of songwriter and producer Max Martin to drive the story.
Rachel Simone Webb, who stars as Juliet, says, "It's a perfect little melting pot of pop excellence and theatrical writing excellence by William Shakespeare."
Shakespeare and his wife are characters in the show, and she convinces the playwright to let the heroine survive.
Webb says that her Juliet "doesn't make her decisions based on what he (Romeo) wants or based on what she thinks the stars are telling her. She makes her decisions based on how she feels in each moment."
Songs from Katy Perry and more
Music Director Andre Cerullo explains "The songs are part of, I think the story and character development throughout. The way they fit into the storyline, it kind of pushed the boundaries a little bit with what jukebox musicals do."
The Boston Conservatory graduate says both the band and cast have a blast performing the Martin songs.
"I didn't fully realize how big his catalog is until I started working on the show. And then I'm like, oh, it's that song, that artist, and I think it's a testament to his talent."
The show features music from The Backstreet Boys, Britney Spears, Kelly Clarkson, Katy Perry, Jessi J, and more.
It's a challenge for Webb who explains, "Singing these powerhouse songs that are billboard top chart songs? These songs are terrifyingly hard but very, very fun. Those songs are never going to go out of style. The story in the songs and the messages that come from these songs are never going to go out of style, the same way that William Shakespeare's text will never go out of style."
You can see "& Juliet" at the Citizens Opera House in Boston through November 17.