Lorna Courtney, Tony-nominated for creating the title role in Broadway's & Juliet, played her final performance in the Tony-nominated musical May 12 at the Stephen Sondheim Theatre.
During the curtain call, Tony nominee Betsy Wolfe, who plays Anne Hathaway, spoke about her co-star, explaining the two met during auditions, where Wolfe realized Courtney "had everything and so much more, the most incredible blend of vulnerability and fearlessness and sheer undeniable talent."
Courtney—who was presented with flowers by her & Juliet successor, Maya Boyd—explained, "I grew up in a household of four generations of strong Black women, so being here on this stage telling this story means the world to me."
Watch Courtney's final bow, including a snippet of Katy Perry's "Roar," in the Instagram video below:
READ: How Lorna Courtney Is Coming Into Her Power In & Juliet
The Broadway company currently features West End star Oliver Tompsett as William Shakespeare, Olivier winner David Bedella as
Lance, Tony nominee Betsy Wolfe as Anne Hathaway, Justin David Sullivan
as May, Charity Angél Dawson as Angélique, Ben Jackson Walker as Romeo,
and Philippe Arroyo as Francois.
The ensemble includes Daniel Assetta, Andrew Chappelle, Michael Iván Carrier, Phil Colgan, Virgil Gadson, Najah Hetsberger, Makai Hernandez, Bobby “Pocket” Horner, Joomin Hwang, Megan Kane, Alaina Vi Maderal, Daniel J. Maldonado, Brittany Nicholas, Ava Noble, Jasmine Rafael, Matt Raffy, Tiernan Tunnicliffe, and Rachel Webb.
Check Out & Juliet Merchandise in the Playbill Store
The hit musical, nominated for nine Tony Awards, including Best Musical, flips the script on the William Shakespeare classic, imagining what would happen next if Juliet hadn’t ended it all over Romeo.
Featuring a book by David West Read, the score includes a
mix of tunes by Max Martin and more, including “Since U Been Gone,”
“Roar,” “I Want It That Way,” and “Confident.”
The production also has direction by Luke Sheppard, choreography by Jennifer Weber, musical supervision, orchestrations, and arrangements by Bill Sherman, scenic design by Soutra Gilmour, costume design by Paloma Young, lighting design by Howard Hudson, sound design by Gareth Owen, video projection design by Andrzej Goulding, hair, wig, and makeup design by J. Jared Janas, and musical direction and additional orchestrations by Dominic Fallacaro.
U.S. casting is by Stephen Kopel and Carrie Gardner. & Juliet is executive-produced on Broadway by Eva Price.
