Kathryn Allison
By Constance Garcia-Barrio
One suspects that Kathryn Allison was born with music humming through her soul. Audiences will hear her award-winning voice in “& Juliet,” a Broadway hit musical that opened at the Academy of Music on March 25. This presentation of Ensemble Arts Philly and the Shubert Organization will run through April 6.
Kathryn Allison and Paul-Jordan Jansen in the North American Tour of “& JULIET.”
Photo Credit Matthew Murphy
In Shakespeare’s “Romeo and Juliet,” Juliet chooses death because she and Romeo can’t be together. “& Juliet” is a reimaging of what would have happened if Juliet didn’t decide to end it all, what adventures she would go on,” Allison said, who has a leading role as Juliet’s caretaker and confidant.
The flipped script, created by the Emmy-winning writer of “Schitt’s Creek,” also highlights feminism and strength within the LGBTQIA+ community, breaking gender and race barriers.
Artistic expression seems to run in Allison’s family.
“There were some musicians on my mother’s side, but a lot of that lore has been lost unfortunately with the Great Migration,” said Allison, whose mother’s family came from the South to Fishtown and later moved to New Jersey, where she grew up. One of her grandmothers was a seamstress whose artistry was incorporated in clothes by designers like Perry Ellis.
Allison also has Cuban heritage on her father’s side.
Her talent stood out early. Allison’s choir teacher in middle school urged her repeatedly to have her parents call to discuss her gift as a singer. One day, her mom finally did. After that conversation, Allison’s parents got her voice lessons three or four times a week.
Around the same time, Allison met a kindred spirit who became one of her best childhood friends.
“My friend and her sister were obsessed with musicals,” she said. “I would go over to their house after school, and they would play show tunes. One day, my friend gave me a mixed CD of tunes, and I fell in love with the form.”
Allison also took part in school productions, including playing Sour Kangaroo, the diva queen of the jungle, in “Seussical the Musical.” Her performance wowed her parents and deepened their belief in her potential. In high school, Allison continued honing her skills, playing the lead in “Hello Dolly.” She went on to earn a Bachelor of Arts in Musical Theatre from Ithaca College.
Hard work paved the way to success soon after her graduation.
“I showcased and got an agent out of college,” Allison said. “During that time, I was auditioning for a lot of things, and I was also going to a lot of open calls through [Actors’] Equity.”
Six months later, she landed the role of the fortune teller in “Aladdin” on Broadway. In 2015, Allison, who also has training in film and television acting, won the New York Musical Theatre Festival’s Next Broadway Sensation Award.
Hitting Broadway so soon came as a shock.
“I was barely 22,” Allison said. “I thought that my Broadway debut would come in my 30s or 40s. I was just so, so grateful.”
Luck, sweat, and above all encouragement from her parents sowed the seeds of her early triumph, Allison feels.
“My parents instilled in me that I could be whatever I chose to be,” she said. “They said, ‘If you work hard and you’re a good person, you can achieve anything you set your mind to. They were willing to invest in me as long as I invested in myself and took myself seriously. Not everyone has parents willing and able to do that.”
From left: Teal Wicks, Rachel Simone Webb, Nick Drake and Kathryn Allison in the North American Tour of “& JULIET.”
Photo Credit Matthew Murphy
Allison values the alchemy of theatre that makes each performance new. It’s the idea that highlights the unique and fleeting nature of live performance and life itself.
“What’s so amazing about theatre is that you have the audience right there and every night you’re in a conversation with them, especially in a show like “& Juliet” where there’s so much humor,” Allison said. “You’re reading off of them and how they’re feeling about the show.”
That exchange remains fresh and with each audience.
In addition, the songs’ lyrics can cast their spell anew each night, Allison feels.
“I think that’s the beauty of really great songwriting,” she said. “I’m thinking of “F..kin’ Perfect [by Pink].” It’s a way to tell Juliet that we all make mistakes in life, but the way we handle them and grow from them is what matters.”
Life itself — circumstances in one’s day and in the world — color each performance, Allison adds.
“It’s never the same,” she said.
Allison embraces the show’s toughest task.
“The challenge — but also the fun part — is that I’m running around a lot in this show,” she said. “Juliet is everywhere, all at once, and you’re trying to catch her.”
Ultimately, Allison strives to pay homage to the music, some of which she grew up with.
“It spans from the late ‘80s until now,” she said. “Everyone coming to the show will know at least one song.”
Besides the show’s lusty singing, “& Juliet” could open new vistas for viewers, Allison feels. “Every single character in the show is going on a journey that someone in the audience can relate to, realizing that you can have a new lease on life, a new lease on love.”
Purchase tickets by calling: (215) 893-1999 or online at: www.ensembleartsphilly.org. In-person ticket sales are available daily from 10 a.m. – 6 p.m. at the Academy of Music Box Office, located at 240 S. Broad Street. Visit: www.ensembleartsphilly.org for more information.
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