Look, Shakespeare’s material was already pretty queer. But the new hit musical “& Juliet” kicks the queer factor up way past the balcony and deep into the rafters.
And Nick Drake wouldn’t have it any other way.
“Expect spectacle, expect confetti and expect great singing and good vibes,” says Drake, one of the show’s stars and an alum of Baldwin Wallace University.
“& Juliet” asks the question, “What would happen next if Juliet didn’t end her life over Romeo?” all against the backdrop of iconic pop songs like “Since U Been Gone,” “Larger Than Life,” “…Baby One More Time” and “I Want It That Way.” The musical romp is touring through Ohio, playing March 4-23 in Cleveland’s Playhouse Square (tickets here) and April 8-20 at the Aronoff Center in Cincinnati (tickets here).
Drake plays May, Juliet’s best friend, who embarks on their own identity journey, one that Drake says has been transformative for the character as well as the actor playing the part.
“[Playing May] has healed all of my childhood trauma, which is so incredible,” Drake said. “I feel so lucky, and I feel so grateful that I get to play someone queer who gets to fall in love.”
The Buckeye Flame spoke with Nick Drake about their musical theatre roots, spending college time in Ohio and what it’s like touring the country with this extraordinarily queer show.
To listen, click play directly below or read our (edited) conversation beneath the audio link.
When little Nick Drake was running around Missouri, was musical theater always the dream?
No, I wanted to be a marine biologist when I was a little kid. And I used to have a game on my Wii where I would be a scuba diver, and I would go into all these different oceans and discover all these different fish. And it was really important to me to discover every single fish that I possibly could.
So, was there a quintessential moment where you walked off of a stage, pumped your fist in the air and thought, “Yeah, this is what I want to do!”?
Yes! My school always had an auction. And every year the sixth grade class has to perform and work the auction. And that year they decided to do “A Chorus Line” and they needed someone to sing “What I Did for Love.” So they had auditions, but I think my school knew that I was going to sing that part because I was always singing in school. I only wanted to go to music class.
They picked me to sing the solo. And then I just remember being in that auction space and my mom was screaming my name so happy because she had never really heard me sing before. It was the most glorious feeling.
And that same person who choreographed our sixth grade auction number was the head of youth auditions for (St. Louis performing arts center) The Muny. So then I just started doing shows at the Muny. I did ‘Showboat’ my first year and it was the most exceptional experience of my life and I’ve never stopped doing it since.
How do you describe your experience in Ohio to other people?
You know what, I’ve always been a midwestern person. St. Louis is a little more metropolitan. But I had such good time with all my friends in Ohio. I’m obviously still working with them. There’s like five of us [Baldwin Wallace alums] in “& Juliet,” and I still hang out with all my friends from college, which is really sweet.
But Ohio also made me gain at least twenty pounds because the food here is so incredible. Last night, I tried to go to Boss ChickNBeer immediately when I got off the plane, but I was too late. They closed.
Sell our readers on “& Juliet.” What do we need to know about this show?
Honestly, if you’ve ever read “Romeo and Juliet,” just throw that Shakespeare play away and get ready for a ball of a time.
You’re going to laugh so hard. You’re going to want to dance. You’re going to cry and it’s going to be so much fun and you’re going to know all the material. If you listened to any music from the 2000s, you’re going to know this show and you’re going to want to sing along. It’s going to be so fun for us if you are in your seats, clapping, laughing and crying. So just expect spectacle. Expect confetti. Expect great singing and good vibes.
What song do you not sing in “& Juliet” that you wish you did?
I wish I sang, excuse my French, “Fucking Perfect.” I think K (Kathryn Allison) sings that song the best I’ve ever heard anyone sing that song in the canon of “& Juliet.” And I think the way that it’s delivered is so perfect, and I think the way that K does it is so perfect. K is the most exceptional talent that we have on that stage. But I just like that tune.
I do feel like, as someone who follows you, you love this character May that you play.
I sure do!
Tell us about May.
I think May is a little baby queer. I just think that they are so new to the experience of what it is to be themselves. And they hit the fan so hard. They’re like full force. So I’m coming out with sparkles and glitter and doing everything. What I love about them is that they are so sassy and so sweet at the same time. All you want to do is root for them, and you want them to have the love story that they do have. It is so exceptional to play.
It has healed all of my childhood trauma, which is so incredible. I feel so lucky, and I feel so grateful that I get to play someone queer who gets to fall in love, and it makes me so happy. And I get to sing Britney Spears too. This is truly an experience that I will never get over and I will never take for granted.
You are traveling across the country as an out queer performer in an extraordinarily queer musical in some areas where being an out LGBTQ+ person is just not great right now. What’s it like for you traveling as as an out LGBTQ+ performer in this particular show?
You know, I was scared for a very long time and especially being in extremely red states like Tennessee and Texas. But what I’m always grateful for is that the people who are coming to the show love theater and are usually queer people who need to see me perform this.
So at the stage door, I just feel so grateful that there are always queer kids and queer people in the community who are just crying in my arms. And it makes me feel so lucky. It makes me feel like I have such a great responsibility to uphold and to be a vision across America that there’s still hope, that there’s still queer people who exist in all facets.
I used to be scared, but then I just always realized that there’s somebody in the audience who is rooting for me. And if that’s just one person, or if that’s someone who didn’t know that they could root for me, then I’ve already won.
How uncomfortable will you be if I start crying in your arms?
You know, I actually do expect it and I might cry with you.
That is teamwork! Last question for you: give me that patented Nick Drake advice for all of our budding queer performers who want to make performing their life. What do you wish you had been told?
People will always try to put you in a box, and people will always tell you that you have to do this a certain way if you’re gonna be accepted in this community. But the minute that I started standing out and being unapologetically myself was the minute that I started succeeding in the way that I wanted to succeed and I wouldn’t let anybody tell me who I am or what I do on that stage.
And I know that every time that I go out on that stage, I’m presenting my most authentic self. And I’m presenting my most unapologetic self. So my advice is to stand out and don’t be afraid to stand out because we need to see more people like us. And we need to see more people who are unapologetic and who are gifted.
And the more that we are supported in that, the better queer people will shine in this community. 🔥
Editor’s note: The author of this piece is an employee of Baldwin Wallace University and a former professor of Nick Drake’s.
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- “& Juliet” will be playing March 4-23 in Cleveland’s Playhouse Square (tickets here) and April 8-20 at the Aronoff Center in Cincinnati (tickets here).
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