ARTS AND ENTERTAINMENT CONT.

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The show focuses on the story of Juliet having to move on from Romeo and realize there is more to life than him. She then travels to Paris with her three friends, Anne, May and Angelique, who fans of the Shakespeare play will know as the nurse The show does a good job giving the message that women don't need to be controlled by men and that they can make their own decisions. May, one of Juliet’s friends, is struggling with their gender identity and they are also trying to figure out what they want. They made the right decision to cast a trans actor in this role because they did an incredible job conveying the fact that they are struggling to find their gender identity. There is also a character named Francois who is struggling to find out whether to marry Juliet or try to marry his true love, May Lance, Francois’ father, accepts that his son wants to marry May and allows him to do so.

The show and music are both really good. I loved how they found a way to incorporate each song in a way that it fits in with the show. This show is what is regarded as a Jukebox Musical which is a musical that incorporates well known pre-existing songs into a new show Other examples of this style of musical that you might know are Mamma Mia and Moulin Rouge. I admire the way that the songs weren’t just there to add familiarity and were there to help the plot move along

&Juliet held its ground against the other shows I have seen, although it is hard to beat Hamilton and Phantom of the Opera. The show surprised me in a good way. I thought about how I expected it to be somewhat like a Katy Perry concert instead of a Broadway musical. I expected it to be somewhat like Bubblegum Pop and to be too upbeat and cheery for my liking, but it was not. While the show had its fair share of upbeat and loud, colorful moments, it also had parts that were more serious or intense

One thing that I was not particularly fond of was the inclusion of “It’s My Life” by rock star Bon Jovi. It seemed out of place given that most of the soundtrack included pop stars and boy bands I felt like the energy was high enough to end the first act but it was the only real rock song in the whole show.