Broadway GR’s latest ‘& Juliet’ features hit music from three decades

GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (WOOD) — The latest show to hit the stage in Grand Rapids puts a spin on the classic Shakespeare play, “Romeo & Juliet.”

“& Juliet” the musical asks, what would happen if Juliet did not die? The show follows Juliet through her journey to control her own destiny, with twists and turns along the way.

On top of that, the show features music from three different decades of hit songs from Ariana Grande, Brittany Spears, Bon Jovi, the Backstreet Boys and more. It is often referred to as a jukebox musical.

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On this week’s “Behind the Curtain,” News 8 spoke with Fabiola Caraballo Quijada, who plays Juliet in the production. She said this is a great introduction for someone new to theater because you are bound to know one or more of the songs.

“You will be jaw dropped at the way that these songs were picked, and they are used with our characters and our dialogue,” she said. “It was meant for our characters, and it was written for them.”

Caraballo Quijada is 19 years old and was cast into this leading role right after she graduated from high school. She also had just won the Jimmy Awards, a national high school musical theater competition. She said there are many ways she and Juliet are similar, so she is proud to play her at such a pivotal time in her career.

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“I really love that this musical teaches you that you can change your destiny at any point in time,” she said. “You can just decide to do something differently, to carry yourself in a different way, to set your eye on a goal. … No matter who you are, I think that is just the most important message.”

“& Juliet” will be at DeVos Performance Hall through March 15. Tickets can be found here.

“Come see the show and have your frown turned upside down,” she said. “Come with a friend, come with your mom, make it a girl’s night, make it a mom and daughter night, make it a night. It is just so, so much fun.”

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