West End vs Broadway: & Juliet – Two Shakespeares go quill-to-quill
© Johan Persson / Matthew Murphy
Well, do we have a “Larger Than Life” edition of West End vs Broadway for you today?!
Now that the hit jukebox musical & Juliet is taking New York by storm, we thought we’d set up a little tête-à-tête with two original stars from both the West End and Broadway productions. Enter: Shakespeare!
Oliver Tompsett, a two-time WhatsOnStage Award nominee, originated the role and has remained with the show ever since. Although only in his early forties, he is considered a musical theatre veteran, with credits such as We Will Rock You, Guys and Dolls, Wicked, Mamma Mia! and Rock of Ages (just to name a few) under his belt already.
Stark Sands is & Juliet‘s original Shakespeare across the pond. He’s a two-time Tony Award nominee with Broadway credits ranging from To Kill a Mockingbird and Journey’s End to Green Day’s American Idiot and Kinky Boots, originating the role of Charlie Price. And as fate would have it, Tompsett was actually the West End’s final Charlie Price before the show closed in 2019 too.
Check out their transatlantic tittle-tattle below:
& Juliet features the songs of Swedish hit-maker Max Martin and a book by David West Read, reimagining the fate of Romeo and Juliet‘s titular heroine.
