Supreme Court Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson to make Broadway debut in '& Juliet'
Published in Entertainment News
NEW YORK — Broadway‘s smash hit musical “& Juliet” will reign supreme, quite literally, when Supreme Court Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson takes the stage this weekend.
The trailblazing judge will fulfill another one of her life’s goals with a one-night-only, walk-on role in Saturday’s 8 p.m. show at the Stephen Sondheim Theatre.
A production representative confirmed to the Daily News on Tuesday that Jackson will take on an ensemble spot that was created just for her. She’ll also participate in a talkback session with the audience after the performance.
“& Juliet,” which raked in nine Tony Award nominations after its Broadway premiere in 2022, remixes Shakespeare’s iconic love story with chart-topping songs from uber-producer Max Martin, known for crafting hits for stars like Britney Spears, Taylor Swift, the Weeknd and NSYNC.
Jackson previously spoke about her love of theater in her recently released memoir, “Lovely One.”
“I, a Miami girl from a modest background with an unabashed love of theater, dreamed of one day ascending to the highest court in the land,” writes Jackson, the first Black woman to sit on the U.S. Supreme Court. “In one of my supplemental application essays [for Harvard University] I expressed that I wished to attend Harvard as I believed it might help me to fulfill my fantasy of becoming the first Black, female Supreme Court justice to appear on a Broadway stage.”
In an Instagram post promoting her Broadway debut, the show wrote: “Let’s make that teenage dream come true, Justice Jackson.”
During an interview with “CBS Sunday Morning” in September, the 54-year-old justice told Norah O’Donnell that while a student at Harvard, she was once a scene partner to Matt Damon in drama class.
According to Jackson, her acting chops impressed their professor far more than those of the future Oscar winner, who was a year ahead of her at Harvard.
“I was like, ‘Oh my god, I was better than Matt Damon in a scene!’” Jackson said with a laugh.
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