Broadway Backstory
Dear Season Subscribers and Broadway Fans:
Broadway Comes to Reno opens our 31 season with the global smash musical & Juliet. Fusing classic Shakespearean characters with the biggest 21 Century pop music hits, & Juliet is a familiar story totally reimagined for our time. Still playing to packed houses on Broadway and London’s West End, we are excited to bring this new musical to Reno audiences for the very first time. st st
The Broadway Backstory Newsletter is created by Pioneer Center Education to help you learn more about the shows in our Broadway Comes to Reno series. Below you will find information and links [in blue] to websites, videos, and articles about the history and creators of the show. Don’t forget to forward this email to the other subscribers and Broadway lovers in your party. Your tickets to & Juliet were emailed to you as a PDF attachment on October 16 . Look for the subject line “Confirmation of Order Number.” We look forward to seeing you at the Pioneer Center soon! th
Get the backstory on Broadway’s & Juliet
The source material is Shakespeare’s iconic play Romeo & Juliet combined with the song catalogue of Max Martin, the Swedish songwriter and producer behind some of the biggest pop hits of the last three decades. Martin launched to international fame in 1999 with Britney Spears’s “…Baby One More Time” and has gone on to write or co-write 26 Billboard Hot 100 No 1 hits for artists including Backstreet Boys, Katy Perry, Kelly Clarkson, NSYNC, Pink, Ariana Grande, Justin Timberlake, Taylor Swift, and The Weeknd.
The idea for & Juliet originated with book writer David West Read, a Canadian playwright and Emmy Award–winning writer for Schitt’s Creek. West Read imagined a feminist retelling of Shakespeare’s Romeo & Juliet in which Juliet survives and rewrites her destiny, using Max Martin’s chart-topping songs as the score. Martin and his wife/songwriting collaborator Jenny Petersson embraced the project.
Luke Sheppard directs the production. Sheppard’s previous work includes the Olivier Award–winning London revivals of In the Heights, Starlight Express, and several major West End premieres.
Choreographer Jennifer Weber’s credits include KPOP and Redwood on Broadway and The Hip Hop Nutcracker on tour.
& Juliet had its world premiere at the Manchester Opera House in September 2019, before transferring to London’s Shaftesbury Theatre, opening on November 20, 2019. The West End production earned 9 Olivier Award nominations (winning 3) and continues its run today. A timely Broadway transfer was delayed due to the pandemic.
The musical made its North American debut in Toronto at the Princess of Wales Theatre in June 2022 prior to a Broadway transfer. & Juliet opened on Broadway at the Stephen Sondheim Theatre on November 17, 2022, and was nominated for 9 Tony Awards (winning 2). The production continues today having played over 1,100 performances.
International productions include Australia, Ireland, United Kingdom, Canada, Singapore, Sweden, and Germany, with additional sit-down productions in development.
The First U.S. National Tour playing the Pioneer Center launched in September 2024 at Baltimore’s Hippodrome Theatre, moving on to Los Angeles, San Francisco and other major cities. After Reno, the tour will continue to 35 more stops including Miami, Chicago, and Kansas City.
Learn more about the cultural significance of & Juliet
The Italian legend of Romeo & Juliet pre-dates Shakespeare’s 1590s adaptation and has seen many interpretations since his time, including West Side Story. Read the article HERE.
Songwriter and music producer Max Martin has shaped global Top 40 pop music in the 21 Century. Read the article HERE. st
Director Luke Sheppard tells Kenny Leon about the creative process of bringing the show to the stage. Listen to the podcast HERE.
Choreographer Jennifer Weber shares insight into her process and teaches some & Juliet commercial hip hop moves with Broadway cast members. Watch the video HERE.
Listen to the Original Broadway Cast Recording on Spotify HERE.
To learn more about the historic Pioneer Center for the Performing Arts, please visit www.pioneercenter.com
