David West Read (‘& Juliet’ book writer) tells ‘the ultimate story of young love and heartbreak’ with Max Martin pop songs [Exclusive video Interview]
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“If I was going to repurpose and reinvent Max’s music, it also made sense to reinvent the story,” reveals “& Juliet” writer David West Read. He took on the daunting task of combing through hundreds of pop hits by Max Martin while trying to create a story that would unite the famous songs. His efforts resulted in a smash hit, and a Tony nomination for Book of a Musical. Watch the exclusive video interview above.
“Max was so open to what this could be that he wasn’t prescriptive about what I needed to use,” notes Read. The only directive was to explore the song catalog “from a completely new perspective.” As he listened to a playlist of Martin’s songs (featuring the likes of Kelly Clarkson, Britney Spears, Backstreet Boys and more), he realized that the bulk of them were about young people falling in and out of love. As such, William Shakespeare’s “Romeo and Juliet” provided the perfect thematic parallel to tie these songs together. “It’s the ultimate story of young love and heartbreak,” says Read.
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The story Read concocted dreams up what might have happened if Juliet chose to live at the end of Shakespeare’s play. Juliet embarks on a journey of self discovery, but her friends in the story are just as fleshed out as the lead character. “It’s a difficult balance when I’m thinking, how many character arcs can I juggle without feeling like they’re truncated,” admits Read. “But it’s also very Shakespearean to have these multiple weddings at the end!”
The vibrant ensemble of characters also provided the writer with an opportunity to highlight all kinds of diversity. “I just liked the opportunity of exploring this theme of starting over from different perspectives,” explains Read. Juliet isn’t the only person finding new love, there are compelling romances between queer characters and older characters as well. “It’s a very inclusive show,” he states proudly, ”there should be a way for everyone in the audience to find themselves in the show.”
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Read won an Emmy Award for Best Comedy Series for “Schitt’s Creek” in 2020. That series earned him two additional Emmy nominations, with one for writing and another Comedy Series bid in 2019. He is currently the showrunner and writer for “The Big Door Prize” on Apple TV+.
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