Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson to make Broadway debut in ‘& Juliet’
By Kaanita Iyer, CNN
(CNN) — Ketanji Brown Jackson is set to fulfill another one of her life’s goals.
The first Black woman to sit on the Supreme Court is set to appear in a Broadway show on Saturday when she takes the stage in a one-night performance in “& Juliet.”
It’s a walk-on role for the 8 p.m. ET show, and Jackson will participate in a talkback with the audience following the performance, the show shared in an Instagram post on Monday.
The show did not share details about Jackson’s role. The entertainment publication Deadline reported that the justice will take on an ensemble spot that was created for her.
In her memoir “Lovely One,” which the show cited in its announcement, the justice shared that, in her application essay to Harvard University, where she earned her undergraduate and law degrees, she wrote that it was her fantasy to be “the first Black, female Supreme Court justice to appear on a Broadway stage.”
“Let’s make that teenage dream come true, Justice Jackson,” the show said in the post.
In September, Jackson expressed her love for theater during a press tour for her memoir, singing a few lines from “The Wiz” during a sit-down with former CNN host and current “CBS Mornings” anchor Gayle King at the famed Apollo Theater, according to The Associated Press.
She revealed in a separate interview that, as a student at Harvard, she was a scene partner to future Academy Award winner Matt Damon. She recalled that the scene went well for her and she received rave reviews from her professor, who was less impressed with Damon’s performance.
“I was like, ‘Oh my god, I was better than Matt Damon in a scene,’” Jackson told CBS.
“& Juliet” is a modern take on “Romeo and Juliet,” and it rewrites the ending of the Shakespeare tragedy, exploring what would have happened if Juliet did not die, according to the show’s website.
Described by The New York Times in its review as a “super-poppy production,” the show features pop hits such as Britney Spears’ “…Baby One More Time” and Katy Perry’s “Roar.”
The-CNN-Wire
™ & © 2024 Cable News Network, Inc., a Warner Bros. Discovery Company. All rights reserved.
