On Broadway, Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson will play in a one-night production of “& Juliet.”
On Dec. 14, at 8 p.m., the first Black woman appointed to the Supreme Court will take the stage in a walk-on role. Jackson, 54, will also host a talkback following the performance, per the jukebox musical’s post promoting the special event. In addition, Brown Jackson’s recent biography, Lovely One, described her “unabashed love” of theater. In her Harvard application essay, she even mentioned her desire to perform on Broadway. She revealed that she had did a part alongside Matt Damon while attending the Ivy League school’s theatrical program.
Jackson’s dream
Jackson‘s ambition will now become a reality. When she was confirmed to serve on the Supreme Court in April 2022, she had already finished the first phase. In February of that year, President Biden nominated her and she took office at the end of June.
“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—and I had said so in one of my supplemental application essays [to Harvard],” wrote Jackson in the book. “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.”
“Let’s make that teenage dream come true, Justice Jackson,” the caption on Instagram read.
Given that “& Juliet” invokes ideals of female emancipation, her inclusion in the musical is also consistent with her values. The musical is a contemporary adaptation of “Romeo and Juliet,” a Shakespearean classic. Pop classics by performers like Britney Spears and Katy Perry are also featured. This reworking, however, centers on Juliet’s existence in the event that she did not pass away with her star-crossed lover. The Stephen Sondheim Theater hosts the performance, and a U.S. tour is currently under progress.
