DALLAS (KDAF)– Rachel Simone Webb is a powerhouse vocalist as the lead in “& Juliet“, the 2019 jukebox musical that flips the script on the classic, asking “what happened if Juliet lived?” It’s a fun, empowering musical featuring hit songs produced by Max Martin for artists Britney Spears, Katy Perry, Backstreet Boys and Kelly Clarkson.
Before landing in fair Verona for the original run and currently leading the North America Tour, her journey began in Dallas.
“It feels like a dream come true,” Webb said when asked about her homecoming performance run. “I grew up not knowing that this was a career path, and that there were resources to come see theater. For me to be able to have the gift of performing in front of peers, and family and people who are looking to do this, it feels like a gift and an opportunity to share what I was given through mentorship.”
Webb grew up in DeSoto and attended school there before moving to Dallas her junior year and attending Booker T. Washington High School for the Performing and Visual Arts. “I grew up singing in church. My mother was basically my first vocal coach,” Webb reminisced. She honed her craft there and later at Texas State University.
She fondly named Curtis King, the CEO and President of The Black Academy of Arts and Letters, her mentor. He took her and several others in the Young Gifted and Black Artists program to the Broadway show “On The Town” in 2015. That was her first Broadway musical experience.
“I realized the theater world is so vast, and the way you perform has to be ‘larger than life’,” she cheekily said, mentioning the Backstreet Boys hit and opening number of “& Juliet”.
The experience has certainly been larger than life. Webb took to Instagram opening night to share the surreal feeling. I asked her what she’d tell her younger self. What words would she have for the little Rachel singing her heart out in church and local choir programs?
“I would tell little Rachel that she doesn’t have to worry about comparing herself to other people and that her life circumstances as a young person do not dictate how her career is going to go, and that God is always going to have her wherever she goes,” Webb said. “As a young artist we are often learning difficult things about our personhood as we are learning our craft. So when you see yourself acting or singing, we are immediately going to critique it. And when you see someone else you think ‘oh, I want to be like them’ but comparison doesn’t have to be the subject of your technique.”
“Even though comparison is something we deal with, it doesn’t have to be the only thing driving us forward.” She pointed to a mentor Oscar Williams who taught her it’s OK to make a mistake because that’s how you grow.
Webb was part of the original Broadway cast as one of three understudies for Juliet, and an ensemble character. Her name appears on the cast album as the voice of the first ex in “Show Me the Meaning of Being Lonely”, another Backstreet Boys song.
“I feel like I got a promotion, like I was able to prove its not only possible to become a, dare I say, stronger version of myself, as Britney Spears would say,” she said, referencing “Stronger”, another featured song. “It’s a chance to show that it’s possible for your dreams to come true.”
She spoke to the negative outlook audiences may have when an understudy goes on. “You feel an extra pressure to make sure those in the audience have a good time.” Webb shared there was a mindset shift she made going from understudy to lead, with a new freedom of creativity.
“Anytime I get to play Juliet, as an understudy or lead, it’s a chance for Juliet to speak through me as an actress. David West Read wrote such a beautiful script and when you are saying the lines, you are encouraging yourself.”
Webb shared her favorite song in the musical is their duet version of Celine Dion’s “That’s The Way It Is”. She explained the slowed down number comes during a pivotal heart-to-heart between Juliet and Anne/April.
“I hope people see that they can love themselves unconditionally and that their love doesn’t have to be tied to another human. That if they find it within themselves first, they can share it with everyone around them.”
There’s more in store for Webb, and unknown in the best way.
“This was a huge milestone I was hoping to hit. Hopefully, I can jump into another Broadway show. I would love to originate something on Broadway,” Webb shared.
Just as her character writes her own destiny, anything is possible.
“& Juliet” presented by Broadway Dallas runs through February 9th at the Music Hall at Fair Park.
Lauren Negrete 