Introduction

What makes a musical a memorable experience? Is it the acting? The choreographed dance numbers? Is it the fact that you spend tens, to hundreds to even thousands of dollars just to see a bunch of sweaty and out of breath fully grown adults singing a song about itchy pants? Or is it something more? Recently the EHS program in addition to the Arts and Culture SHSM program  went on a trip to Toronto to see the Broadway award-winning play & Juliet, which is a spin on Shakespeare’s classic play Romeo & Juliet. In this article, I will be going over what makes this a fun and well-thought-out play that can be polarizing to different audiences, and makes the viewer think about the implications that the changes brought to the classic play will have on the characters’ lives.
 
The first thing that will be talked about in this article is the expert stage and tech design. To set the scene we first have to establish the theater we went to. The musical took place in the Royal Alexandra Theater, a massive theater with 3 levels of audience and a huge stage space. At the start, the stage is arranged to look like a back alleyway or a backstreet cafe. This musical is a jukebox musical which means that all songs are pre-existing, with the playwrights obtaining the proper licensing to use  and modify  them  for the sake of the musical. The play opens with a song from the Backstreet Boys, which in the nature of the opening stage, takes place in a backstreet. I won't get into the songs, you’ll just have to see that for yourself, and although I would have preferred to see original songs, the new versions were not terrible. Throughout the play, there is great use of songs that heavily pertain  to the setting of the musical. Another component that they executed well was the pyrotechnics, they had sparks, confetti, fog and other amazing technical effects. The lighting was a great choice for all parts of the play as it really sets the mood for each scene and makes you feel as if you are really part of the play. 

The second thing I would like to mention would be the writing and pacing of the play. I feel  that the writing was decent with lots of comedic moments throughout the play. The character writing was really good and really illustrated how the characters of the play are, and how they feel about the situation at hand. My biggest problem with the play would be the pacing. While I know the playwrights had to fit a full length story in a couple of hours, that doesn’t change my opinion as parts of the play go all over the place. I don’t want to spoil the play, though I will say that in one part they are somewhere, and in less than 10 minutes they are somewhere completely different. I wanted to see a story more neatly contained rather than the chaos it became. I think the playwrights could have worked more effectively on pacing as it felt like an afterthought.
 
Community Testimonies
As EHS and Arts and Culture SHSM are open to all grades, student opinions of all grades were taken into account when writing this article. For example, a Grade 12 says, “& Juliet, the musical, was an enthralling piece to witness in person. Having seen musicals in person before, I’d have to say this one was my favorite so far, purely because of its use of every piece of stage machinery available for them. For example, they used confetti machines that went out above the audience, they used a stage dropper and lifter, where actors can appear or disappear from the stage, and they also used, my favorite, the fly system, not only to lift props on and off stage, but to lift actors!!! One of the most memorable ones was when Juliet was getting lifted along with a chandelier, crazy stuff. Overall, I think those stage machines really brought out the creativity of the performance and made it next level!”

A Grade 10 adds on to what the Grade 12 said by stating “This play presents a truly intriguing story with strong acting. Though, I would have to say that the highlight of this play is the choice of music, with bright and catchy songs that our generation will recognize, it adds energy and liveliness to the play.” 
However, not everyone agrees, as when I had asked a Grade 9, they had this to say “While I think the pyrotechnics were quite pleasant to experience in person, I don’t think that's what should make or break a play, a play should have good writing, acting and staging. Instead of working so hard to make the confetti look good, they should work more on the script. I can appreciate what the play is trying to establish in making fun of old and modern societal norms, and the message to take control of your own life, but when their writing is sloppy it can blur the lines between a proper message and no message at all. Also, I don't think that adding in modern songs was the right move, I would have preferred to see originally composed songs. All in all, I don't think it was the worst play, but not nearly the best and I would not see it again.”
 
Conclusion
& Juliet while some liked it and others did not, is definitely an interesting play. This play covers hard and complex themes which are attached to an older societal norms, which should not be taken lightly as they are still prevalent nowadays. I would definitely recommend this musical to anyone who can appreciate the musical artform, you can watch it in person at The Royal Alexandra Theater in Toronto. All in all I would rate this play a 8.5/10!