Betsy Wolfe, Lorna Courtney, Stark Sands, More Will Star in & JULIET in Toronto
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The cast of the North American premiere production of & Juliet has been revealed, featuring a star-studded roster of talent likely to send Broadway fans north of the border. As previously announced, performances will begin June 22 at the Princess of Wales Theatre in Toronto, Canada.
Starring as Juliet will be Lorna Courtney (Dear Evan Hansen), alongside Tony winner Paulo Szot (South Pacific) as Lance, Tony nominee Stark Sands (Kinky Boots) as Shakespeare, Betsy Wolfe (Waitress) as Anne Hathaway (Shakespeare’s wife), Justin David Sullivan as May, Melanie La Barrie as Nurse, Ben Jackson Walker as Romeo, and Philippe Arroyo as Francois.
Rounding out the cast are ensemble members Brandon Antonio, Nico De Jesus, Nicholas Edwards, Katy Geraghty, Virgil Gadson, Bobby "Pocket" Horner, Joomin Hwang, Michael Iván Carrier, Alaina Vi T.Maderal, Daniel J. Maldonado, Joe Moeller, Brittany Nicholas, Veronica Otim, Jasmine Rafael, Matt Raffy, Tiernan Tunnicliffe, and Rachel Webb.
& Juliet uses a catalog of pop songs from the last three decades, including “Since U Been Gone,” “Baby One More Time,” “Larger Than Life,” and “That’s The Way It Is,” to flip the script on the tale of Shakespeare’s star-crossed lovers by placing the title heroine’s fate into her own hands.
The musical features a book by David West Read with additional music from Max Martin, who penned all 30 hit songs featured in the show. The creative team includes director Luke Sheppard, choreographer Jennifer Weber, set designer Soutra Gilmour, costume designer Paloma Young, lighting designer Howard Hudson, sound designer Gareth Owen, musical supervisor Bill Sherman, and hair designer J. Jared Janas, with casting by Stephen Kopel and Carrie Gardner and Canadian casting by Stephanie Gorin.
After premiering in Manchester, England three years ago, & Juliet moved to the West End where it continues to play at the Shaftesbury Theatre today. In 2021, the musical won Olivier Awards for three of its performers: Miriam-Teak Lee (Juliet), David Bedella (Lance), and Cassidy Janson (Anne).
