Review: & JULIET at Fox Cities Performing Arts Center
A High-energy, comedic spectacle!
& Juliet offers a contemporary reimagining of Shakespeare’s classic tragedy, asking what might happen if Juliet chose a different path after Romeo’s death. Written by comedy genius David West Read (Schitt’s Creek), the musical blends Shakespearean characters with modern tastes and twists, exploring themes of self-discovery, independence, and second chances. The foundation of the production is laid on the catalog of songwriter and producer Max Martin, featuring well-known hits made famous by artists including Britney Spears, the Backstreet Boys, Katy Perry, Kelly Clarkson, and P!nk. Unlike many traditional jukebox musicals, several of the selected songs are carefully and cleverly woven into the narrative, advancing both character and story.
The touring production recreates the colorful visual style and high-energy staging that helped make the show a Broadway success. While its contemporary humor and pop soundtrack may not appeal to every theatergoer, & Juliet presents a fresh take on a familiar story and offers a distinctly modern perspective on one of literature’s most famous heroines.
Fabiola Caraballo Quijada, fresh off her win at the 2025 Jimmy Awards, makes her professional debut in the role of Juliet. A talented young actress, she brings a youthfulness and vibrancy to a role that requires it. Caraballo Quijada shines vocally, showing off a rich sound that is both precise and balanced. It will be exciting to see where her career takes her next, and how more experience allows her to refine her craft and take on roles with greater depth and nuance. She may be small in stature, but there is nothing small about her impact on the stage.
Crystal Kellogg in the role of Anne, is the queenpin of this production. From start to finish, Kellogg brings consistency and perfectly timed humor. The role of Anne is one that holds a massive responsibility in this book, and Kellogg was masterful in her approach. Previous roles have prepared her well for this opportunity both on the Broadway stage and in touring productions. She is able to navigate a uniquely blended role which serves as a participant, a narrator, and a writer of the story with believability and confidence. Her performance was the heart of the production in every way.
In the role of François, Noah Marlowe strikes just the right balance between awkwardness and sincerity. What could easily become a one-note comic character instead emerges as one of the production's most genuine presences. His social missteps and uncertainty are played with authenticity rather than exaggeration, making François both relatable and endearing. His performance allows the audience to laugh with the character rather than at him, and that honesty helps ground some of the show's more over-the-top moments.
“I’m Not a Girl”, performed by Jourdan Ibe in the role of May, lands as one of the more grounded moments in the production, offering a brief pause from the show’s constant and frantic momentum. Stripped of excess staging, the song’s emotional core comes through clearly, leaning into a sense of transition and self-definition rather than spectacle. What makes the number effective is its restraint; it doesn’t try to over-explain or amplify the feeling, and that simplicity allows the lyric to do most of the work. In a show that often favors big comedic turns and pop-driven energy, this moment stands out for its quiet honesty, even if it is relatively short-lived before the production moves on.
The book provides plenty of opportunities for clever Shakespearean humor, particularly in the exchanges involving Shakespeare and Anne Hathaway, and those moments often rank among the show's most effective. However, the script occasionally leaves one wishing for greater depth beneath its clever exterior. While the musical is eager to engage with contemporary social themes, those ideas take precedence over the development of the central relationships that give Shakespeare's original work its emotional weight. As a result, certain character arcs can feel more representative of larger messages than fully realized personal journeys. The show is well-intentioned throughout, but there are moments where a greater sense of nuance and emotional gravity can strengthen its impact.
The choreography keeps the show moving with consistent energy and a strong sense of pace, clearly designed for broad accessibility and momentum. At the same time, it doesn’t always land with the level of precision or polish that more dance-forward productions achieve, which can make some sequences feel a bit underwhelming in their execution. The sound design, however, is a standout element of the production. Clean, powerful, and exceptionally well-balanced throughout, it does a lot of heavy lifting in shaping the overall theatrical experience and giving the show its professional sheen. Vocally, the production sits in a deliberately blended space between pop performance and musical theatre technique, which is conceptually fitting for the material. This blend, however, is inconsistent and results in moments where the show flips between styles instead of achieving the blend that it seems to actually desire.
Taken as a whole, & Juliet is a lively, crowd-pleasing evening of theatre that knows exactly how to entertain an audience in the moment. Its score, comedic wit, and high-energy staging make it an easy recommendation for viewers looking for something modern, fast-moving, and familiar. There are, however, areas where the production prioritizes momentum and concept over refinement and depth, which may explain why it does not necessarily resonate with all theatregoers. Even so, it remains a worthwhile production; one that succeeds most in its ability to keep audiences engaged and leave them revisiting beloved songs they already know in a creatively new light.
& Juliet will be at the Fox Cities Performing Arts Center through Sunday, June 5, 2026 before continuing on to Milwaukee and then Indianapolis.
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