Imagine Shakespeare's Juliet singing Britney Spears' "Oops…I Did It Again." This unexpected combination might seem dubious, but “& Juliet” pulls it off brilliantly. It’s currently one of the most entertaining shows on Broadway.

“& Juliet” features 32 songs by Max Martin and a rotating team of collaborators (credited as Max Martin and Friends), with hits spanning from the 90s to today. The soundtrack includes songs made famous by Robyn, the Backstreet Boys, Katy Perry, Demi Lovato, P!nk, and more. The playbill highlights that Martin has more number-one hits than anyone else this century, even calling him the “Shakespeare of pop music.” His impressive catalog indeed makes for a fantastic jukebox musical.

The book of “& Juliet,” by David West Read (“Schitt’s Creek”), takes us on a metatheatrical adventure where Anne (Betsy Wolfe) argues with her husband William Shakespeare (Stark Sands) to rewrite “Romeo and Juliet” with a happier ending for Juliet. Instead of dying, Juliet (Lorna Courtney) discovers that Romeo is a melodramatic philanderer and runs away to Paris, where she soon finds herself in a new romance.

This concept could have ended up feeling like a high school English project, but Read executes it skillfully. He respects and understands the original material while also highlighting its absurdities (such as the fact that Romeo and Juliet knew each other for only four days). The characters remain true to their origins but are slightly modernized, like when Anne adjusts Juliet’s age from 13 to her mid-20s.

“& Juliet” draws on a rich theatrical heritage, akin to a blend of “Six,” “Something Rotten!”, “Head Over Heels,” and “Moulin Rouge!”. It’s an Elizabethan jukebox musical with Tudor chic, packed with clever Shakespearean jokes and historical references (such as Shakespeare leaving Anne his “second best bed” in his will). It uses beloved pop songs to convey a relatable feminist message.