The billboard lights in Times Square were bright as ever as I walked back onto the main area with my mom by my side. I wished I was still in the theater. I have loved Broadway since I was a little kid, my mom singing wicked to me when I was little to learning about Hamilton in elementary.

I have been begging to go to New York since I was eight. This had been the night I was waiting for, my first Broadway show in a New York theater. 

My mom and I had chosen “& Juliet” a relatively underground show to go to while we were in the city. Getting to our seats was easy, we were right on the aisle. 

Then the show started, and I remembered how much I truly loved live performances. In the past, I had gone to the Indianapolis theater to see Hamilton, and before that I had seen Anastasia at the embassy. Nothing could have prepared me for how amazing this show would be.

Combining some of my favorite things: a retelling of Shakespeare with a twist, queer love, and 90s and 2000s boy band songs. David West Read is also an amazing playwright, and I have seen the popular television show he developed,“Schitt’s Creek,” and I really enjoyed it. All of this combined resulted in an amazing musical with a cast I fell in love with. 

The story itself is a retelling of Romeo and Juliet, told as if when Juliet wakes up and finds Romeo has died by suicide, she continues on without him. 

Out of everyone, my favorite character had to have been May. It is so rare to see non-binary representation in media, even in Broadway shows. Seeing someone be so truly themselves on stage was beautiful. I wish there was more representation in the media for them, as some of the most important people to me are gender non conforming. 

Shakespeare’s wife, Ann Hathaway who helps him rewrite the story and injects herself into it,  was another favorite of mine. As someone who writes creative fiction outside of journalism, I really relate to her character because I find myself doing that a lot in my stories. 

This show is overwhelmingly a comedy, and every joke hits the audience hard, the theater erupting in laughter multiple times. 

This show was probably my favorite I’ve ever seen, even after going to Lion King later in spring break. The choreography was perfectly in sync the entire time, and overall was just a good atmosphere to be in. 

This show has reminded me of my love for theater, and I am so excited for the next show I catch.