Ben Jackson Walker returns to Broadway’s & JULIET as Romeo

Ben Jackson Walker has returned to the Stephen Sondheim Theatre, stepping back into the role that launched his Broadway career in the hit pop musical & JULIET.

Walker begins performances as Romeo on 13 August, succeeding Liam Pearce, who played his final performance on 9 August. The casting brings the production’s original Broadway Romeo back to the musical nearly two years after the conclusion of his first New York run.

Walker first created the role for the musical’s North American premiere in Toronto before transferring with the production to Broadway in 2022. He remained with the New York company until 27 October 2024 and subsequently reprised Romeo in the United Kingdom tour of & JULIET. The Internet Broadway Database now credits him as both the original and returning replacement performer in the role.

His return places him opposite Gianna Harris, who currently leads the company as Juliet. The principal cast also includes Alison Luff as Anne Hathaway, Corey Mach as Shakespeare, Michael Iván Carrier as May, Chrissy Metz as Angélique and Nathan Levy as François. Joey Fatone and Paulo Szot are appearing in scheduled engagements as Lance.

The production has undergone several significant cast changes during the northern summer. Mach joined the Broadway company as Shakespeare on 4 August, having previously originated the role in the musical’s first North American tour. His arrival followed the departure of Drew Gehling, while Metz, best known for her performance as Kate Pearson in the television drama This Is Us, is making her Broadway debut as Angélique.

For Walker, the return represents a homecoming to the production with which he made his Broadway debut. Beyond the stage, his screen credits include the Paramount+ comedy Honor Society, as well as appearances in Orange Is the New Black and Evil. He is also set to appear alongside Millie Bobby Brown in the upcoming Netflix romantic comedy Just Picture It.

Written by David West Read, & JULIET rewrites the conclusion of William Shakespeare’s famous tragedy, asking what might have happened had Juliet decided not to die following Romeo’s apparent death. Rather than accepting the ending written for her, Juliet travels to Paris and pursues a second chance at life, friendship and love on her own terms.

The musical is directed by Luke Sheppard, with choreography by Jennifer Weber, and features a score assembled from the pop catalogue of songwriter and producer Max Martin. Its soundtrack includes hits such as Since U Been Gone, Teenage Dream, …Baby One More Time and I Want It That Way.

Romeo’s place within this version of the story is considerably different from his role in the original tragedy. The character becomes part romantic complication, part comic disruption and part reminder of the life Juliet was once prepared to sacrifice. Walker’s return restores one of the performances that helped establish that dynamic during the show’s earliest North American seasons.

& JULIET began Broadway previews on 28 October 2022 and officially opened at the Stephen Sondheim Theatre on 17 November. By 9 August 2026, the production had played 1,555 performances and received nine Tony Award nominations.

With Walker once again playing Romeo, the long-running musical is combining a familiar original cast presence with a significantly refreshed principal company. & JULIET continues its open-ended Broadway run at the Stephen Sondheim Theatre.

Photo Credit: Matthew Murphy