Melanie La Barrie takes her final bow in Broadway's & Juliet December 30 at the Stephen Sondheim Theatre. Barrie originated the role of Nurse Angélique in the hit Tony-nominated jukebox musical, both on the West End and Broadway. Barrie departs to join the upcoming West End production of Hadestown, where she will take on the role of Hermes.
Barrie will be succeeded on Broadway by Charity Angél Dawson, who will play her first performance January 2, 2024. Dawson most recently performed in Chicago as Matron "Mama" Morton, and has also starred in Mrs. Doubtfire, Waitress, and Side Show.
Dawson joins a cast including Lorna Courtney as Juliet, Paulo Szot as Lance, Tony nominee Austin Scott as Shakespeare, Betsy Wolfe as Anne Hathaway, Justin David Sullivan as May, Ben Jackson Walker as Romeo, and Philippe Arroyo as Francois.
& Juliet opened at the Stephen Sondheim November 17, 2023, transferring from its hit West End run. Picking up where Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet ends, when Shakespeare's wife Anne Hathaway comes to visit him in London, she suggests that the lovestruck teenager's story shouldn't end in tragedy. What follows is a rollercoaster of laugh-inducing rewrites and a heartening journey of self-discovery.
Luke Sheppard directs the Broadway production, reuniting his full West End creative team, including choreographer Jennifer Weber, scenic designer Soutra Gilmour, costume designer Paloma Young, lighting designer Howard Hudson, sound designer Gareth Owen, video and projections designer Andrzej Goulding, and hair designer J. Jared Janas. Bill Sherman serves as musical supervisor, orchestrator, and arranger, with Dominic Fallacaro as music director. Casting is by Stephen Kopel and Carrie Gardner.
Featuring a book by Emmy winner David West Read (Schitt's Creek), the score of songs by Max Martin is filled with 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."
