#71: & Juliet

  • Performances: 1,443 (as of May 6, 2026).
  • Open: November 17, 2022
  • Theater: The Stephen Sondheim Theatre.
  • Tony Awards: Somewhat weirdly did not win a single Tony Award, though nominated for 9 and Betsy Wolfe as Anne was particularly praised. It was the year of Kimberly Akimbo and revivals of Sweeney Todd and Into the Woods among other competitors.
  • Fun Fact: Max Martin has worked with both Adele and Taylor Swift and “Send My Love (To Your New Lover)” by Adele and “22” by Taylor Swift were briefly included in workshops but ultimately cut.

Podcast

You may think that a person in the midst of performing a role is too close to it to have insightful things to say about it. That’s certainly not the case about Crystal Kellogg who at the time of this conversation was smack-dab in the middle of the national tour for “& Juliet,” playing the catalyst to the musical’s action, Anne Hathaway. She has many astute things to say among her character’s journey amidst this smash hit show.

This show famously utilizes the catalog of megaproducer Max Martin who has a record breaking number of number 1 Billboard hits (29 at the time of this conversation). He’s worked with a wide range of artists but the bulk of his hits were performed by boy bands like the Backstreet Boys and female icons like Britney Spears and Pink.

What would have happened if Juliet had not killed herself at the end of the Shakespeare story? It’s hard to know what the Bard himself would have come up with but book writer David West Read came up with a jaunty romp complete with a girl’s trip to Paris and new love interests for all concerned. It’s been the toast of Broadway in the post-pandemic era and seems poised to keep climbing the chart of longest-running Broadway hits for years to come.

Splashy trailer – you get the fun, maybe not as much of the heart.
Nice live performance.
Here’s the cast of the West End production, so that’s cool
Betsy Wolfe was clearly making the rounds on the talk shows. Nice that the interview includes Jennifer Webber to talk about the choreo.

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