‘& Juliet’ is Broadway at its best

I wasn’t sure what to expect from “& Juliet,” but what I discovered was the ultimate Broadway musical.

The show pounded its way into my heart, song after song, dance after dance, Wednesday evening (June 24) at the Wharton Center. It was two hours of pure enjoyment. Clashes and flashes. Solemnity and humor. Joy and heartache. No letup. I felt the vibrations in my ears, in the floor and in my soul.

This was Broadway at its best, just minutes from my home.

The performance is a tribute to the creators of the show and its cast and crew, but it’s also a tribute to the visionaries who realized 50 years ago that Michigan State University needed something bigger that its iconic auditorium to attract major performers, both musical and theatrical.

It was during the presidency of Clifton Wharton in the 1970s that he and his wife, Dolores, began a campaign to raise funds for what became the Wharton Center for Performing Arts.

It was here that Lois Ellise, a native of Flint, watched big-time touring shows growing up, and it was Ellise who played the lead role as an understudy on opening night Tuesday. She was “spectacular,” according to Eric Olmscheid, Wharton’s executive director.

I would apply the same terminology to the Wednesday performance of Venezuela-born Fabiola Caraballo Quijada as Juliet. Her presence was strong from start to finish. I can actually say that about all the actors, including Ellise, back in her usual role as Susanna.

The imagined story of Juliet living beyond the tragic ending of “Romeo and Juliet” was well told through somewhat familiar songs and clear dialogue. Even with some French accents, the words came through. Wait a minute — French isn’t spoken in Verona, is it?

This extension of the William Shakespeare classic appears to have been prompted by Anne Hathaway’s resolve to draw her husband’s attention to the sacrifices she makes as a wife and mother in Stratford-upon-Avon while he’s off in London. They get their quills out separately to write differing scenarios that don’t necessarily match fictional reality, if there is such a thing.

The audience is given the impression that it may be involved in reshaping the play’s new finish: boo, hiss, cheer, groan, shout, applaud.

My, how times have changed since Shakespeare’s time. And my, how some people have yet to catch up.

The musicians played brilliantly from somewhere behind the scenery, unseen until they danced out with their instruments at curtain call. Among them were local string players Ji Hyun Kim and Jinhyun Kim.

Bottom line: Judging by the raucous cheers, laughter and applause from the audience, “& Juliet” is one of the best shows ever at the Wharton.