“& Juliet” enchants Vancouver: Critics praise the North American tour at the Queen Elizabeth Theatre

Before the musical “& Juliet” had even started its performance, Vancouver’s Queen Elizabeth Theatre looked as if it had been prepared for a pop concert: a pink sign shone in the centre of the stage, while instrumental versions of the songs that would be heard later filled the hall. As BroadwayWorld writes, this was one of the most eagerly awaited stops of the season for Broadway Across Canada — and the packed hall seemed more than ready for what was to come.

The musical builds most of its identity on songs the audience has heard for decades — from Britney Spears and the Backstreet Boys to Katy Perry, Céline Dion and Bon Jovi. They all have a common link: the Swedish singer and producer Max Martin, whose catalogue forms the foundation of the musical. The idea is simple: what if Juliet had not died at the end of “Romeo and Juliet”? Writer David West Read takes the question a step further by bringing William Shakespeare himself and his wife, Anne Hathaway, onto the stage — she is unhappy with the ending her husband gave the story and begins to suggest changes. The show thus turns into a play within a play, where even those who write the story do not know at all how it will end.

At the centre of the touring production is Fabiola Caraballo Quijada as Juliet — her national tour debut, after winning the 2025 Jimmy Award for best performance by an actress. Alongside her, CJ Eldred as Shakespeare and Crystal Kellogg as Anne, whose comic quarrel is one of the funniest moments of the evening; Sarah Nairne as the nurse Angélique, Nico Ochoa as May and Joseph Torres as Romeo, whose entrance with Bon Jovi’s “It’s My Life” is described as one of the biggest moments of the first act.

According to the BroadwayWorld review, despite the buzz that had preceded the arrival of “& Juliet” in Vancouver, expectations were high — and the musical fully lives up to them. The familiar songs make following the show at times resemble a concert where the audience knows all the words, while Jennifer Weber’s choreography, the lighting and the confetti explosions give several numbers the atmosphere of a live concert.

“& Juliet” is in its third year on Broadway, at New York’s Stephen Sondheim Theatre, and has become one of the most successful jukebox musicals of recent years. The North American tour, presented by Broadway Across Canada, closed its run at Vancouver’s Queen Elizabeth Theatre on 4 October.