By Guest Blogger Eloise Marie Valadez
Fans of Shakespeare’s beloved “Romeo & Juliet” will, no doubt, be fascinated by one of the shows currently playing in Chicago.
The musical “& Juliet” takes the bard”s popular tragedy and rewrites the story as an energetic comedic production with a soaring soundtrack featuring contemporary pop tunes by Max Martin.
“& Juliet” continues to Dec. 15 at The Cadillac Palace Theatre in Chicago.
This jukebox musical offers a fascinating look at what happens if Juliet doesn’t kill herself after Romeo dies. There are many twists and turns in this production which also features creative choreography.
Among actors offering strong performances are Rachel Simone Webb as Juliet, Corey Mach as Shakespeare, Teal Wicks as Anne, Paul Jordan Jansen as Lance and Nick Drake as May.
Anyone who grew up being a fan of the pop hits written by Max Martin will find that the use of these tunes are woven into the production in a clever way. Tunes made famous by Britney Spears, The Backstreet Boys, Katy Perry and others star.
Among the song highlights are “Larger Than Life,” “I Want It That Way,” “Baby One More Time,” “It’s My Life,” “Roar,” “Stronger” and much more.
Get thee to the theater to see this show.
For more information on “& Juliet,” visit BroadwayInChicago.com.
Sidebar: Teal Wicks enjoying Chicago run of ‘& Juliet’
Actor/singer Teal Wicks is thrilled to be starring as Anne Hathaway in the touring production of “& Juliet.”
And being in Chicago for the performance of the show, she said, is wonderful.
“I love Chicago. It’s such a great town,” she said.
“Chicago audiences are very well seasoned. They’re very smart theater goers,” she added.
Wicks said the musical, which was nominated for nine Tony Awards in 2023, is “wrapped in a fun pop” soundtrack with a story which “has a lot of heart.”
The actress said she was drawn to the show after “reading the script,” which she thought was so “clever and funny.”
Wicks said she also fell in love with the character Anne, whom she portrays.
About the Max Martin tunes used in the show, Wicks said it’s such a clever way of weaving them into the script.
She also added the tunes are some of the biggest contemporary hits.
The pop songs, she said, are the true “love language” of today. And that parallels with Shakespeare being the “pop icon” of his time.
Wicks said she’s excited about the fact that “& Juliet” will return to Chicago in 2026. The musical is scheduled to play The Auditorium Theatre July 22 to Aug. 2 in 2026.
Visit BroadwayInChicago.com.
About Guest Blogger Eloise Marie Valadez
Travel/Food is pleased to welcome guest blogger Eloise Marie Valadez who will be frequenting contributing to our site. Eloise is a professional journalist/writer and editor with four decades of experience covering the arts, entertainment, and culinary industries. A native of Chicago, she has a passion for the written word.
