& Juliet will close its West End run at the Shaftesbury Theatre March 25, 2023. The pop jukebox musical began its West End run in November 2019.
The news comes as the production is poised to make its Broadway debut at the Stephen Sondheim Theatre October 28, with opening night set for November 17. The Broadway bow, which follows a North American premiere run at Toronto's Princess of Wales Theatre, will star West Side Story and Dear Evan Hansen alum Lorna Courtney as Juliet, U.K. original cast member Melanie La Barrie as Nurse, Tony winner Paulo Szot as Lance, Broadway veteran Betsy Wolfe as Anne Hathaway, Tony nominee Stark Sands as Shakespeare, Justin David Sullivan as May, Ben Jackson Walker as Romeo, and Philippe Arroyo as Francois.
Featuring a book by Schitt's Creek writer and Emmy winner David West Read and music from Grammy winner Max Martin, & Juliet irreverently considers a new story for Shakespeare's tragic heroine and lovestruck teenager Juliet in which she chooses to live after Romeo dies, with a score featuring familiar pop songs from the last three decades such as “Since U Been Gone,” “Roar,” “Baby One More Time,” “Larger Than Life,” “That’s The Way It Is,” and “Can’t Stop the Feeling."
The West End production is directed by Luke Sheppard, who is also set to helm the Broadway transfer. Choreography is by Jennifer Weber, with scenic design by Soutra Gilmour and costume design by Paloma Young, all of whom will reprise their work on the Main Stem. Max Martin and Tim Headington present along with producers Martin Dodd, Tim Headington, Max Martin, Jenny Petersson, and Theresa Steele Page.
In addition to the Broadway transfer, & Juliet has a U.K. tour in the works, along with productions in Europe and Melbourne.
The West End cast currently features Nicolas Colicos as Lance, Billy Nevers as Francois, Joe Foster as May, and Miriam-Teak Lee as Juliet with Cassidy Janson as Anne Hathaway, Oliver Tompsett as William Shakespeare, Tom Francis as Romeo, and Malinda Parris as Angelique.
The ensemble includes Ebony Clarke, Bessy Ewa, Collette Guitart, Cassandra Lee, Nathan Louis-Fernand, Zara MacIntosh, Carl Man, Christian Maynard, Rachel Moran, Owen Saward, Aaron Shales, Benjamin Terry and Suki Wong, who join Ivan De Freitas, Rhian Duncan, Alex Tranter, Sophie Usher, and Rhys Wilkinson.
