‘& Juliet’ at Mirvish is a joyously effervescent confetti musical — and it's even better than before

Among the shows in this category: the eye-popping if rather lurid “Moulin Rouge! The Musical,” along with the peppy her-storical remix “Six,” both of which seem to have confetti and streamer budgets that can rival that of their actual sets and props. 

But the poster child for this new genre really can’t be anything other than “& Juliet,” the joyously effervescent romp that opened in Toronto on Sunday and has transformed the Royal Alexandra Theatre into party central — leaving me shedding bits of tissue paper all the way home on the subway.

I saw “& Juliet” twice when it was last in town in 2022, on its final stop before heading to Broadway, where it continues to play. But I don’t remember nearly this much confetti that time around. 

That, however, is not a bad thing. After all, the modus operandi of the confetti musical is that more of everything is always better. And it’s an MO that this new Canadian company completely embraces — with a production that feels sharper, funnier and (dare I say) even better than the pre-Broadway production that played here before. 

I should note that, some nips and tucks notwithstanding, this remount is nearly physically and materially identical to the iteration that played next door at the Princess of Wales Theatre in 2022.

David West Read’s irreverent Shakespearean rewrite is largely the same — asking what if Juliet (Vanessa Sears) didn’t kill herself at the end of “Romeo and Juliet,” but instead gallivanted off to Paris with her Nurse (Sarah Nairne, with the warmth of a southern auntie and a Texan drawl to match) and her best friend May (Matt Raffy). 

If you’re able look past Luke Sheppard’s eager-to-please production, with flashy lights, chic costumes, a spinning, pyrotechnic-filled set and a sound design tuned up to pop concert levels (by Howard Hudson, Paloma Young, Soutra Gilmour and Gareth Owen, respectively), you’ll notice that “& Juliet” has all the hallmarks of another theatrical genre: the (maligned, often justifiably so) jukebox musical. (The songs are by Max Martin, the Swedish record producer and songwriter behind a slew of pop music’s biggest hits.)

Unlike so many other jukebox musical writers, however, Read is mostly successfully at integrating these pre-existing songs into his original narrative. 

But that’s less of a testament to Read, talented as he may be, than a sign of how well Martin’s songs lend themselves to the jukebox genre. 

If that sounds like a statement in praise of Martin’s ear-wormy tunes, it’s not. Rather, his songs (and lyrics in particular) are so bland and banal that they’re able fit into almost any story. (His music has always been so appealing because listeners think his words reflect their own lived experiences, when in fact they’re merely generic truisms that could apply to anyone.) 

Martin also has such a deep catalogue that there’s almost a song for every rom-com scenario. Falling for someone you know you shouldn’t be with? “Oops! … I Did it Again.” Ex-lover unexpectedly comes back into your life? “Since U Been Gone.” Rekindling your love with an old flame? “Teenage Dream.”

Not all the songs in “& Juliet” work, though. And it becomes apparent early on just how heteronormative Martin’s bops truly are, and how many of them are constructed around the gender binary. This is especially an issue with regards to May’s character, who is non-binary and could most benefit from some original numbers instead of singing Martin’s pre-written tunes. 

But it’s easy to look past these flaws because Sheppard and his team sell these numbers exceedingly well. Bill Sherman’s new arrangements transform all the uptempo songs into roof-shaking, musical bangers, while Jennifer Weber fills them out with sharp, spiffy choreography that looks fit for a Taylor Swift concert. 

I could argue that this is all somewhat formulaic. But how can I complain when this formula is a winning one? 

Another winning decision is having “& Juliet” narrated by Shakespeare (George Krissa) and his wife, Anne (Julia McLellan), who urges her husband to write a better ending for its title character. Throughout the show, the duo hop in and out of the story, rewriting it as they go.

It’s an ingenious frame that helps excuse some of the head-scratching plot twists that are necessary for Read to squeeze some of Martin’s songs into the show. (You can just chalk these twists up to Shakespeare and Anne rewriting, or re-rewriting, their story.)

But the best part of this new production is, without a doubt, its Canadian cast, who elevate the material in a way that the pre-Broadway company did not. 

Sears, delivering a career-high star turn in the title role, is extraordinary: a veritable triple-threat performer with powerhouse vocals that rip through the Royal Alex. She’s a formidable actor, too, and helps to illuminate her character’s every motivation. (That Sears would know how to act the role should be no surprise; she played Shakespeare’s Juliet at the Stratford Festival last year, no less.) 

As François, Juliet’s new love interest, Brandon Antonio offers a more shy and nervous take on the character than I’ve previously seen. But it makes his second act transformation all the more moving. His chemistry with Raffy is also impeccable, their voices blending gorgeously in duets like “I Kissed a Girl” and “Whataya Want From Me.” 

There’s campy chemistry, as well, between Nairne and David Silvestri, who plays François’s gruff, French-accented father Lance. And as Romeo, David Jeffery adds dimension and even some sympathy to a rather unlikable character. 

Then there is McLellan’s Anne. If Juliet is this show’s voice, then Anne is its heart, a strong-willed, independent woman just wanting her husband to recognize that she is so much more than their children’s mother. McLellan is stupendous in the role. And it doesn’t hurt that she sings the heck out of the show’s 11 o’clock number, “That’s the Way It Is.” (Yes, that one made famous by Céline Dion.) 

Listening to this cast belt out these songs, one after the other, is like being showered in an endless stream of confetti; it’s impossible not to walk out with an ear-to-ear grin. Especially in these dark and dreary days of December, “& Juliet” returning to Toronto feels (to borrow one of Martin’s lyrics) pretty effin’ perfect.