Harvey Milk once said, “Politics is theater,” and at least for one politician, that famous quote holds a degree of truth: Longtime theatre-lover Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson made her Broadway debut on Saturday night.
Her appearance makes her the first member of the nation’s highest court to to appear on the New York stage, according to the “& Juliet” production.
The Supreme Court Justice appeared in a one-night special walk-on role in the buzzy play “& Juliet.” “They have invited me to do a special walk-on role that I’m told they wrote for me,” Jackson told NPR’s “Wait Wait … Don’t Tell Me.” “So I’m very excited.”
The political head also participated in a talkback with the audience after the play concluded.
“& Juliet” first premiered in 2019. The coming-of-age jukebox musical focuses on an alternative history of Shakespeare’s “Romeo & Juliet,” asking what if Juliet decided not to kill herself at the play’s end. Following Jackson’s appearance in the production, “& Juliet” posted behind-the-scenes footage on social media showing the Justice rehearsing songs and choreography as well as getting her hair and makeup done.
“I did it!” Jackson said in the video. “I made it to Broadway.”
