Shakespeare delivers the drama, Britney Spears sets the tone: The pop musical “& Julia” had its premiere Thursday evening at the Stage Palladium Theater in Stuttgart. Right from the start, the ensemble danced to 1990s pop songs and invited the crowd to clap along with a rhythmic beat. The audience applauded for several minutes at the end, standing in ovation.
The show reimagines the world’s most famous love tragedy and picks up where Shakespeare lets his heroine die. Instead of following Romeo into the grave, Julia travels to Paris, leaves Verona behind, and takes her fate into her own hands. From the tragic ending, a second chance at life and love emerges. The title role is played by Rita Sebeh, who had already portrayed Julia at the German premiere in Hamburg in the autumn of 2024.
The musical also celebrates queer love
Beyond Julia’s self-determination, the production explores the variety of love: There is a nonbinary main character named May, and on stage a pansexual character named Francois adds to the story. Alongside queer romance, the show centers on the love found in friendships as well.
The soundtrack is entirely crafted by Swedish producer and songwriter Max Martin. Twenty-nine of his hits were newly arranged and tailored to the characters, including “…Baby One More Time,” “I Want It That Way,” “Since U Been Gone” and “Can’t Stop the Feeling!” The dialogue is in German, while the songs are mostly performed in their original English. The book is by David West Read, who also contributed to the comedy series “Schitt’s Creek.”
Ross Antony: “Truly perfect performers!”
Among the notable premiere guests were Evelyn Burdecki, Richy Müller, Ross Antony, the Impulso Tenors, Anita Hofmann, Milka Loff Fernandes and Daniel Schuhmacher. “Truly perfect performers! You couldn’t have done it better. I’m totally in love with this musical,” praised the gay singer Antony. “Especially in today’s times, we need stories that show how important it is to stand together.”
“It’s about love, diversity and, above all, about finding your own path and being true to yourself, regardless of others,” commented his queer colleague Daniel Schuhmacher after the premiere. “I think everyone should have seen this show.”
The world premiere of “& Julia” took place in 2019 in Manchester. In London’s West End, the musical won three Olivier Awards; since 2022 it has been running on Broadway in New York.
