Ketanji Brown Jackson is the first Supreme Court justice on Broadway: ‘We have dreams’
Few would be surprised to hear a Supreme Court justice speak about having childhood dreams, but one particular item Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson checked off her list this weekend might raise an eyebrow or two.
Jackson made her Broadway debut Saturday with a one-night-only role in the jukebox musical “& Juliet,” which, according to Playbill, “flips the script on the William Shakespeare classic, imagining what would happen next if Juliet hadn’t ended it all over Romeo.”
The Times’ theater critic selects his top SoCal stage productions for 2024, including ‘Funny Girl,’ ‘Fat Ham,’ ‘Primary Trust,’ ‘Pacific Overtures,’ ‘The Brothers Size’ and ‘Company.’
The Broadway production announced Jackson’s special appearance in an Instagram post last week, quoting her memoir “Lovely One,” which was released in September. In her book, Jackson writes about twin aspirations she disclosed in a Harvard application essay: first, “ascending to the highest court in the land,” and second, “to fulfill my fantasy of becoming the first Black, female Supreme Court justice to appear on a Broadway stage.”
“Let’s make that teenage dream come true, Justice Jackson,” the production wrote.
Jackson’s ensemble role was written especially for her, she told NPR hours before call time, adding, “So I’m very excited.”
The day after her cameo, “& Juliet” shared behind-the-scenes footage from Jackson’s rehearsals and a selection of her moments onstage.
“Female empowerment!” she says in one onstage clip, flashing a shaka sign as the crowd roars. “Sick.”
Capping off the video is another clip of Jackson declaring triumphantly, “I did it! I made it to Broadway!”
Ketanji Brown Jackson, 51, replaces Stephen G. Breyer, whose retirement took effect Thursday.
Jarring as it might seem, the former federal public defender’s turn on Broadway isn’t completely unlikely.
“I just always loved theater, and I felt very comfortable onstage,” Jackson said in a “CBS Mornings” segment that aired Monday. During the interview, the justice spoke about performing at a young age and feeling like “theater people” were always her kindred spirits.
Jackson even participated in theater at Harvard, appearing in a production of “Little Shop of Horrors,” according to NPR. In her “CBS Mornings” interview, Jackson also jokingly recalled outperforming Matt Damon when they were scene partners in a drama class.
“I just also think it’s very important to remind people that justices are human beings, that we have dreams and that we are public servants, and we are not so detached from the people that we serve,” she said.
“I guess this moment reinforces for me that anything is possible.”
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