Supreme Court Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson debuts in queer Broadway musical knockoff of ‘Romeo and Juliet’
Written by laserteam on December 17, 2024
(New York Times) – What’s in a name?
Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson briefly ditched the black robes and drama of the Supreme Court and made history with her Saturday night debut on Broadway in the musical “& Juliet,” a queer reimagining of William Shakespeare’s classic “Romeo & Juliet.”
Jackson, who told members of the Senate during her 2022 confirmation that she can’t define what is a woman because she’s not a biologist, portrayed Queen Mab — described as a “she/her” character on a production poster — during her brief Broadway stint on Saturday.
The 54-year-old Supreme Court justice took the one-time, walk-on role in the sold-out musical that had first premiered in 2019 — which had two scenes crafted for her specifically to fulfill a lifelong dream of making it to Broadway.
“I just also think it’s very important to remind people that justices are human beings, that we have dreams, and that we are public servants,” Jackson reflected to “CBS Mornings” prior to the performance.
“& Juliet” explores the world of “Romeo & Juliet” in which Juliet didn’t kill herself after discovering her star-crossed lover Romeo dead from suicide at the end of tragic play.
From there, Juliet seeks love again and heads to Paris with a nonbinary character — only to later get tangled up in a love triangle.
