KBJ Participates In Broadway Show
Supreme Court Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson made headlines this weekend—not for a ruling or a speech, but for a turn on Broadway. The 54-year-old justice, celebrated for breaking barriers on the bench, stepped onto a very different stage Saturday night, performing in the queer reimagining of Romeo and Juliet, titled & Juliet. The one-night-only cameo, specially crafted for Jackson, brought her theatrical aspirations full circle in front of a packed audience at the Stephen Sondheim Theatre.
Draped in a playful costume—a light blue corset layered over a lacy tunic, paired with cargo-pocketed jeans—Jackson delighted the audience, delivering lines with evident joy. A circulating video captures her enthusiastically stating, “Yay! I think what I like about it is that I am having a very strongly negative reaction to it,” with an energy that lit up the stage.
The modern & Juliet offers a fresh take on the Shakespearean tragedy, imagining a world where Juliet decides against ending her life for Romeo. It intertwines contemporary humor, pop culture, and music, offering a colorful departure from the original’s somber tone.
Among its standout moments is a plotline featuring May, a non-binary character and Juliet’s close friend, who ultimately marries a man—an evolution that brings themes of gender identity and love to center stage.
NEW: Supreme Court Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson makes Broadway debut in “& Juliet,” a queer twist on Romeo and Juliet.
The play features ‘May,’ Juliet’s he/she/they best friend.
Jackson previously said it was her life goal to perform on a Broadway stage.
“I, a Miami girl… pic.twitter.com/FauTkn0uBJ
— Collin Rugg (@CollinRugg) December 16, 2024
Jackson’s foray into the theater world is no sudden whim. In her memoir, Lovely One, released last September, the justice recounted her long-standing dream of blending her passions for law and the arts. Even as a teenager applying to Harvard, she boldly wrote of her goal to become “the first Black, female Supreme Court justice to appear on a Broadway stage.” Her performance Saturday fulfilled that decades-old ambition, a testament to the words she shared afterward: “I think that it means that anything is possible.”
Her love for theater stretches back to her days at Harvard, where she once shared a drama class with none other than Matt Damon. Jackson humorously recalls being praised more highly than Damon for their scene work—an anecdote she proudly revisited in interviews promoting her memoir.
Following her curtain call, Justice Jackson stayed to mingle with audience members, further highlighting her enthusiasm for the experience. The evening was undoubtedly a memorable one for Jackson and for those in attendance. Yet her Broadway cameo arrives at a time when the Supreme Court faces cases of significant national consequence.
Among the weightiest is the question of whether states have the authority to ban puberty blockers for children diagnosed with gender dysphoria—a case that speaks to many of the same themes surrounding gender identity explored in & Juliet. Additionally, TikTok has appealed to the court to halt a law that could result in the platform’s effective ban in the United States, raising broader questions about free speech and technology regulation.