It may not be the story you’re used to, but it’s the one being told at Toronto’s Princess of Wales Theatre. & Juliet, now through August 14, is a new musical that explores an alternate history of Shakespeare’s character Juliet as she continues to live an independent life — with songs by Swedish pop creator Max Martin.
And although the 2019 play originally premiered in London’s West End, it had an important Canadian connection long before it arrived in this country. Behind the scenes, Schitt’s Creek author David West Read co-wrote the play with Martin, always with the intention of bringing it back to his home province of Ontario. “It’s really special for me to be here and work with other Canadians again,” Read said in an interview with CBC. “I mean, to me, that’s as good as it gets — doing a show here.” Despite always having a desire to bring a major stage production to Canada, and despite his ability to consistently work in other industries in Canada, Read says it’s never been that simple.
Actors Stark Sands, left, and Betsy Wolfe appear in this rehearsal photo from & Juliet. (Matthew Murphy) In addition to the COVID-related closures — the latter has kept theaters closed across the country for nearly two years, with Toronto’s Mirvish Theaters alone this year announcing their first full season since 2019 — Read says the way the industry is set up prevents both audiences and actors from embracing Canada as a theater capital. Early in his career, Read said he had to move to New York to find a way into the industry, a decision shared by many creators and actors in this country. But part of the reason for that, he said, is due to the assumption by both performers and audiences that Broadway is the best, without recognizing the talent and variety of producers here at home.
“Sometimes it’s hard for Canadians to find that international stage,” Read said, “and I think sometimes Canadians don’t celebrate other Canadians enough until the world celebrates them. “I wish Canadians had a little … more pride in the talent we have here.” To be fair, Canada doesn’t yet have a long history as a Broadway supplier. In 2006, Don McKellar’s satirical musical The Drowsy Chaperone came to New York after premiering in Toronto in 1997 — winning five Tony Awards, including best book of a musical and best original score — while just a few years later his The Drowsy Chaperone Brian Hill’s Story of My Life had a short run on Broadway in 2009. BC Musical Ride The Cyclone brought the comedy about six teenagers trapped on the Cyclone roller coaster off-Broadway in 2015. Earlier, there was Billy Bishop Goes To War, a satirical production about the First World War Canadian flying ace, and Rockabye Hamlet , a rock musical based on the Shakespearean tragedy. And, of course, there’s Come From Away. This play – which tells the story of 7,000 airline passengers stranded in Newfoundland after the 9/11 attacks – is widely cited as the most successful Canadian musical of all time. It opened on Broadway in 2017 and surpassed The Drowsy Chaperone’s 674 performances to become the longest-running Canadian musical on Broadway. It will close in October of this year having hosted more than one million guests and performed 1,670 performances, making it not only the longest-running Canadian musical but also the 49th longest-running musical in Broadway history. WATCHES | The actor blames the end of Come from Away’s run on a lack of government support:

The Canadian production of ‘Come From Away’ is ending for good after a brief return to the stage

Canada Tonight, guest host Hillary Johnstone talks to Ali Momen — a member of the “Come From Away” cast about the permanent end of the theater production due to COVID-19, the lack of support from the government and what it meant to be a part of more activities of Canada hit musical. While these Canadian musicals made their mark, there are still far fewer musicals from the Great White North on the Great White Way than American ones. While part of this is because there are simply fewer artistic creators in Canada, it is also due to an image problem. “Most Broadway shows fail … because of the nature of the finances.” said Lynn Slotkin, a Canadian theater critic. But while, on average, only one in five Broadway shows recovers its investment, there is also a struggle to make a profitable run in Canada, as “they don’t have as good a chance, according to Canadian shows.” Slotkin said the main difference in the support theater receives from the government. While the Broadway run of Come From Away closes in October 2022, the Canadian production closed in December 2021, just one week after returning from a 21-month COVID hiatus. LISTEN | David West Read about Jukebox Musical and Juliet’s Reenactment of Romeo and Juliet: 20:37 David West Read about Reimagining Romeo and Juliet with Jukebox Musical and Juliet David West Rudd is on a roll. He is a writer and producer known for Schitt’s Creek, but also wrote the book for the hit musical & Juliet, which incorporates music from songwriter Max Martin’s gigantic list of pop hits. Read joined Tom Power to talk about writing an alternate ending to Romeo and Juliet and how he turned the tragedy into a modern romantic comedy. “Elsewhere around the world, government has bolstered the commercial theater sector, offering a financial safety net to get the sector back up and running during the pandemic, protecting the tens of thousands of good jobs the industry creates.” . Theater producer David Mirvish wrote the closing season. “But in Canada there is no such government support. And without such a safety net it is impossible for production to take another extended pause. The cost of restarting a second time is prohibitively high and risky.” Early in the pandemic, the US government approved US$16 billion in aid for entertainment productions — with Over $30 million US alone Hamilton — which Slotkin said reflects a broader trend to support theater productions there than in Canada. While Canada announced $60 million in support for the live performance sector, which took effect in April of this year, many in the industry said it was too little too late for the beleaguered arts workers who already had to go through two years of little to no work. “It’s the difference between thinking and knowing that theater, Broadway, whatever, is important to the tourism of your city and your country,” Slotkin said. “And the governments here don’t appreciate it that much.”

“The Broadway brand is hard to beat”

And the knock-on effect — as subsidized musicals find success on the same few avenues in a few rare locations — is a mistaken belief among audiences and actors that a musical hasn’t made it until it’s played in one of them. “All major cities will have really, really good theaters. [There are] theater opportunities in Canada that are comparable to New York,” said David Jeffery, an actor from Medicine Hat, Alta. “It kind of breaks down this idea that if you don’t make it to New York, you haven’t made it as high as you can. While the Broadway brand is hard to beat, it’s not like this top of the chain if you don’t make it there, you don’t you made it.” Red Deer’s David Jeffery will take on the role of Connor Murphy in Dear Evan Hansen, a stage musical running through December 2016 on Broadway. (David Jeffery) Jeffrey himself stumbled into a role on Broadway, eventually landing a spot as Connor Murphy in Dear Evan Hansen after emailing a casting director. But the difficulties of obtaining a permit to work in the United States, moving back and forth between the two countries, and auditioning as a non-American (as the Actors’ Equity Association often requires that American actors be considered) mean that getting down south is nothing more. appetizing than staying in Canada. But Read, Slotkin and Jeffery said audiences often only see a musical “make it” if it’s made it to Broadway. This rules out a huge number of producers – and drives talented actors away, simply because there isn’t a name on Broadway or the West End.
Meanwhile, & Juliet hopes to head to the U.S. and is in what producers call a “pre-Broadway run.” But Read explained that showing the musical in Toronto and bringing it to an audience that seems to enjoy it even more than London embodies why he did it. “I think the best musicals feel like they bring people together, that there’s a sense of community,” he said. “It’s like going to the theater, being with other people and feeling the common bonds of our experiences.”