David and Hannah Mirvish & Associates/& Juliet, music and lyrics by Max Martin and Friends, book by David West Read, music supervisor, orchestrations, & arrangements by Bill Sherman, choreographed by Jennifer Webber, directed by Luke Sheppard, Princess Alexandra Theatre, closes May 17. Tickets here.
The Canadian production of & Juliet opened on Sunday, and from the first moments it became clear that Toronto has another runaway hit on its hands.
This staging by Luke Sheppard is a triumph — bursting with energy, heart, and unapologetic theatrical joy — and it seems destined to run forever at the Royal Alexandra Theatre.
It is that rare commercial musical that satisfies both the eye and the ear, delivering spectacle while grounding itself in a story that feels refreshingly contemporary.
What powers this juggernaut is its irresistible combination of Max Martin’s pop catalogue and David West Read’s sharply comic book.
The Creators
Martin, the Swedish songwriter-producer behind some of the biggest tracks of the last three decades, has been responsible for more No. 1 hits than almost anyone alive.
His music has shaped global pop culture — from Britney Spears and the Backstreet Boys to Taylor Swift, Katy Perry, and Céline Dion — and & Juliet transforms these songs into narrative engines. Rather than feeling like retro jukebox inserts, each number lands with surprising dramatic precision.
Balancing this musical architecture is Read’s smart, cheeky, thoroughly modern script.
The award-winning Canadian writer, best known for his work on Schitt’s Creek, reimagines Shakespeare with both irreverence and affection. He asks a simple but radical question: what if Juliet (Vanessa Sears) did not die?
From that premise springs a playful theatrical experiment in authorship, storytelling, and agency, as Anne Hathaway (Julia McClellan) barges into her husband’s (George Krissa) rehearsal room and decides that Juliet deserves a life of her own.
Read’s writing is both self aware and warm hearted, leaning into humour without sacrificing emotional truth.
The Story
The plot, buoyed by this narrative framework, becomes a celebration of choice, independence, and the refusal to be written out of one’s own life.
Juliet seizes control of her destiny and steps into a world of possibility, travelling with her friend May (Matt Raffy) and Nurse Angelique (Sarah Nairne) to Paris while Shakespeare and Anne argue over the shape of the tale in real time.
It is a show that wants to welcome everyone, and it does so by weaving in multiple strands of contemporary identity: a trans/same sex coming-of-age story — May and François (Brandon Antonio) — a romance for an older couple — Angelique and Lance, François’ father (David Silvestri), and friendships that matter as much as romance.
There is something here for every audience member — wit for those who know their Shakespeare, and a heartfelt message of empowerment that resonates across generations.
Oh yes, and Romeo (David Jeffery) who really isn’t dead.
Spectacle For Musical Theatre Lovers
The production’s visual world, courtesy scenic designer Soutra Gilmour, lighting designer Howard Hudson and video designer Andrzej Goulding, is astonishingly complex, an endlessly shifting theatrical landscape where something is happening everywhere you look.
The set is built from modular platforms, flying elements, and a lattice of scaffold-like structures that allow scenes to slide effortlessly from Shakespeare’s rehearsal room to Verona’s streets to the glittering clubs of Paris, all without ever stopping the show’s momentum.
Rather than literal scenery, the designers use movement, colour, and projection to sculpt space — LED screens bloom into pop-art backdrops, light pulses like an extension of the score, and the ensemble themselves become part of the architecture as they reposition elements in full view, creating the sense of a story being rewritten in real time.
Lighting functions almost as a scenic character — bold saturations, sharp beams, and rhythmic cues shape mood and location with breathtaking immediacy. Projections expand the world far beyond the physical stage, deepening the show’s pop-theatrical hybrid energy.
The costumes by Paloma Young work in tandem with this kinetic environment, marrying Renaissance silhouettes with modern streetwear and high-glam pop flourishes; every character seems to step out of a mash-up between Shakespeare and MTV.
Quick changes happen in view, woven into choreography, and the colour palette — bright pastels, jewel tones, metallics — stitches the performers directly into the visual world, making clothing a form of scenic storytelling.
Together, the set, lighting, video, and costumes create a dazzling, constantly transforming universe that matches the musical’s exuberant pop spirit beat for beat.
The Acting
Sears gives the performance of her life. She is practically never off the stage and it’s absolutely radiant as Juliet. She sings up a storm, dances like a whirlwind, acts like an Oscar winner — in short she is perfection.
McClellan and Krissa have great chemistry together as Anne and Will. I don’t know how old McLellan is, but the lady is a stupendous dancer for someone not in the flush of youth, and both she and Krissa can belt out a tune.
Raffy and Antonio are suitably sweet while Nairne and Silvestri bring smiles as the older generation. Jeffery as Romeo has the hardest role to play because he is a nerd which he does very well.
The Curmudgeon
I would be less than honest if I didn’t let my curmudgeonly side speak out. Everything I have written above is absolutely true but here comes the BUT…
I didn’t recognize one song and they all sound the same.
99% of the songs are all canbeltos — meaning sung at full voice and loud.
While vigorous and energetic, the choreography is very repetitive.
Sorry, & Juliet fans, but it had to be said, but then, I did say it was from my grouchy side.
Final Thoughts
In the end, this Canadian production understands exactly why & Juliet has already conquered audiences around the world.
It marries pop exuberance with theatrical craft, delivering a show that is wildly entertaining.
Toronto has embraced it wholeheartedly, and judging by the reaction on opening night, & Juliet is poised to become one of the city’s defining commercial hits.
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