'& Juliet' is a sparkly, poppy phenom at the Benedum Center

Jukebox musicals — musicals that use existing music to tell a new story — have become a little stale since “Mamma Mia!” shot the genre into prominence 25 years ago. So it’s especially impressive that “& Juliet” managed to bring a fresh take to two things: jukebox musicals and Shakespeare’s timeless tragedy “Romeo and Juliet.”

“& Juliet,” which opened Tuesday night at the Benedum Center as part of the Pittsburgh Cultural Trust’s PNC Broadway in Pittsburgh series, imagines a timeline where Juliet didn’t die at the end. Instead, using the music of pop legend songwriter and producer Max Martin, the show opens up a whole new world for the star-crossed lover.

And there were a lot of songs, almost all of which the audience knew well. Martin’s career has spanned more than two and a half decades, and many of his 27 Billboard No. 1 hits appeared in the musical. He’s written or produced for Katy Perry, Britney Spears, the Backstreet Boys, Pink, The Weeknd and many more. “& Juliet” includes lasting hits like “Since U Been Gone” by Kelly Clarkson, “I Want It That Way” by the Backstreet Boys and “Roar” by Katy Perry.

The show opened originally in 2019 at the Manchester Opera House in Manchester, England, and, after moving to the West End, opened on Broadway in 2022. The book is by David West Read.

But let’s not forget about the plot. The musical uses a clever framing device: it starts with William Shakespeare ready to premiere his new play, “Romeo and Juliet,” and his wife Anne Hathaway has come all the way from Stratford-upon-Avon to see it. But when he reveals the ending, Anne becomes upset and says that she wants to rewrite the play — together with him.

So Juliet survives and is consoled by friends (including Anne, who writes herself into the script as “April”) and they all decide to go to Paris, where love triangles and hijinks ensue. That is, until Shakespeare himself gets fed up with his wife’s meddling and decides to bring Romeo back to life and throw him into the mix.

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The musical has a lovely lesson to learn about finding yourself, making decisions without fear and not assuming that the happy ending is, in fact, the ending. It is a crowd-pleasing balance of funny and moving.

The charming cast was led by the trio of Juliet (Rachel Simone Webb), Anne Hathaway (Teal Wicks) and William Shakespeare (Corey Mach). Webb brought Juliet back to life with a joie de vivre that lit up the whole stage and a charisma that makes her moments of clarity impossible not to applaud. Wicks is funny, great at the emotional moments and has a Celine Dion-esque voice (perfect for when she sings Dion’s ‘That’s The Way It Is” in the second act). And Mach’s slow transformation from bigheaded superstar playwright to caring husband is a joy to watch, on top of his voice, which is perfectly suited to blowing those boy band hits out of the water.

The supporting cast also did a terrific job, as did the ensemble. That’s especially true considering the pop-concert nature of the production, which combined conventional setpieces with special effects like eye-catching lighting, pyrotechnics, quick costume changes and confetti.

Luke Sheppard directed the production, pulling together what could’ve been a stadium-style concert with a fairly intimate story in a way that was compelling on both fronts. Jennifer Weber’s choreography combined those elements as well, reminiscent of both music video dancing and bigger, more traditional musical theater moves. Soutra Gilmour’s scenic direction was splashy and bright but not overwhelming — with an often neon color palette in just the right amounts. Same with lighting by Howard Hudson, which danced, strobed and changed colors over the musical numbers but highlighted the characters in more dramatic moments.

And the costumes looked both stylish and comfortable, especially the shoes. Both the audience and actors most likely love costume designer Paloma Young.

The second act is admittedly a little crowded with musical numbers, especially ballads. But the last couple of songs are impossible not to dance in your seat to, and with a perfect blend of humor and heart, “& Juliet” will win over even the most dubious non-pop fan. Just try not to sing along in the theater.

“& Juliet” will run through Nov. 3 at the Benedum Center in downtown Pittsburgh. For more information and tickets, visit trustarts.org.