‘& Juliet’ @ Bass Performance Hall (PAFW)
Show photos by Evan Zimmerman
—Rickey Wax
If Shakespeare had TikTok, & Juliet is probably what he would have written after doom-scrolling at 2 a.m. and whispering, “Wait… what if she lived?” That thought hits home almost immediately at Bass Performance Hall: a towering ROMEO sign glows at center stage, as if it expects a solo spot. Then, a moment later, Juliet's name snaps on in pink neon—and quietly moves Romeo aside. The shift is subtle, but makes the story’s new direction obvious.
The musical (presented by Performing Arts Fort Worth as part of the “Broadway at the Bass” series) premiered in London in 2019 before opening on Broadway in 2022. It came from Schitt’s Creek writer David West Read and uses Max Martin’s collection of pop hits. Anyone who ever burned a CD will recognize half the score before the first chorus appears.
The opening introduces Shakespeare hunched over his pages. C.J. Eldred plays him with the smug confidence of someone who enjoys the echo of his own genius. His world changes the second Anne Hathaway storms in. Yes, his actual wife. No, not the Hollywood star, although Crystal Kellogg brings the same “I’m not asking, I’m telling” authority to the part. She questions his ending for Juliet, and the air changes around them. Shakespeare looks unsettled, as if someone moved his ink bottle without permission.
Once Juliet enters, the story begins to reshape itself. Fabiola Caraballo Quijada, a Tyler native and 2025 Jimmy Award winner, gives her a restless spark that fills the stage. When she reacts to Romeo’s dramatic entrance with a baffled blink, the audience bursts into laughter.
Juliet leans on new friend May (Anne has written him into the story) during the early chaos. Nico Ochoa brings an upbeat, playful energy, and the friendship between them feels lived-in. Around them, the stage becomes a kaleidoscope of shifting color. Scenic designer Soutra Gilmour builds layered platforms that come alive under Andrzej Goulding’s projections. When Shakespeare reappears as a stage-coach driver and drags everyone to Paris, the projections flip into a fast-paced travel montage. Street signs flash by. The Eiffel Tower appears, disappears, and pops back in again like a postcard dancing in the wind.
Lighting designer Howard Hudson fills the show with vivid shifts that look like spilled highlighters glowing under stage light. Juliet’s “Roar” erupts with pyrotechnics that fire upward in tight bursts. Costume designer Paloma Young blends Elizabethan silhouettes with modern streetwear. A corseted bodice appears beside a pair of Chuck Taylors and tall tube socks, and somehow the combination works. This touring production uses every theatrical toy in the box.
During Juliet’s escape from Verona, her nurse arrives: Kathryn Allison as Angélique gets a laugh with one well-placed sideways glance. She crosses paths with Lance, Juliet’s almost-father-in-law. Paul-Jordan Jansen gives him an accent that sounds proudly self-invented, and he moves with the confidence of a sitcom character convinced he created charisma.
When Juliet reaches Paris, she meets François. Noah Marlowe introduces him with a sincere awkwardness. His attempts at impressing her resemble someone reading a romance guide out of order. Juliet studies him, uncertain whether to encourage his efforts or step away.
Before she can decide, Shakespeare rushes back into the action. His urgency pushes the scene toward conflict, while Juliet slips past his influence. Anne steps in and argues for nuance. Their disagreement spreads through the younger characters, giving the scenes a restless rhythm.
Anne leaves the stage briefly to change her dress, and by the time she returns, Shakespeare has twisted the story into a full-on mess. Romeo (what?) looks confused. François looks terrified. Juliet looks like she wants to fire her own author. Anne’s expression says everything: she should never have left Will alone.
Yes, Romeo has returned from the dead—and Joseph Torres bursts onstage with the confidence of a teen who assumes the world spins around him.
& Juliet keeps Shakespeare in the picture, but without treating his version as the final word. The story leans into what happens when a girl gains room to speak for herself and no longer follows someone else’s script. Juliet’s choices mirror any moment when a person steps outside expectations and searches for something that feels true. The show approaches feminism with a gentle touch, giving Juliet real agency and trusting her to navigate uncertainty.
And honestly, after watching this story unfold, Anne Hathaway probably should have been editing his plays from the beginning.
WHEN: November 12-16, 2025
WHERE: 525 Commerce St, Fort Worth
WEB: basshall.com
