What’s in a reputation?
Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson briefly ditched the black robes and drama of the Supreme Court docket and made historical past along with her Saturday evening debut on Broadway within the musical “& Juliet,” a queer reimagining of William Shakespeare’s traditional “Romeo & Juliet.”
Jackson, who instructed members of the Senate throughout her 2022 affirmation that she will be able to’t outline what’s a girl as a result of she’s not a biologist, portrayed Queen Mab — described as a “she/her” character on a manufacturing poster — throughout her temporary Broadway stint on Saturday.
The 54-year-old Supreme Court docket justice took the one-time, walk-on position within the sold-out musical that had first premiered in 2019 — which had two scenes crafted for her particularly to satisfy a lifelong dream of creating it to Broadway.
“I simply additionally assume it’s essential to remind people who justices are human beings, that we have now goals, and that we’re public servants,” Jackson mirrored to “CBS Mornings” previous to the efficiency.
“I suppose this second reinforces for me that something is feasible.”
“& Juliet” explores the world of “Romeo & Juliet” during which Juliet didn’t kill herself after discovering her star-crossed lover Romeo useless from suicide on the finish of tragic play.
From there, Juliet seeks love once more and heads to Paris with a nonbinary character — solely to later get tousled in a love triangle.
Jackson, who instructed members of the Senate throughout her 2022 affirmation that she will be able to’t outline what’s a girl as a result of she’s not a biologist, portrayed Queen Mab — described as a “she/her” character on a manufacturing poster — throughout her temporary Broadway stint on Saturday.
“Feminine empowerment,” Jackson was seen bellowing out onstage in a video posted to social media on the musical’s X account. “Sick!”
The manufacturing staff launched a behind-the-scenes video additionally displaying Jackson going over traces and working towards her choreography.
“I did it! I made it to Broadway,” Jackson exulted on the finish.
Whereas making ready for her Broadway debut, Jackson instructed CBS Information, “I really feel very a lot in my component.”
“I simply all the time cherished theater and I’ve felt very snug onstage,” she mirrored. “I used to be all the time acting from after I was very younger. It felt just like the theater folks have been my folks.”
The liberal Supreme Court docket justice hailed the play as a “fantastic story of feminine empowerment and ladies’s means to do what they wish to do” and mentioned she had loads of “enjoyable” in course of.
Final Thursday, the excessive court docket wrapped up its final set of oral arguments for the 12 months and can start arguments once more subsequent month.
Jackson had been a theater junkie rising up, having taken drama courses at Harvard College alongside actor Matt Damon.
In her memoir “Pretty One,” which hit bookshelves earlier this 12 months, Jackson mirrored on how she utilized to the Ivy League college partly to satisfy her lifelong dream of turning into the “first, Black feminine justice to take the Broadway stage.”
“I, a Miami woman from a modest background with an unabashed love of theatre, dreamed of sooner or later ascending to the very best court docket within the land — and I had mentioned so in certainly one of my supplemental utility essays,” wrote within the ebook.
Throughout a tour to advertise her ebook, Jackson broke out into singing a couple of occasions, and carried out a number of traces from “Schoolhouse Rock” and different performs this previous fall to reveal her “unabashed love of theater.”
Following her cameo, Jackson mingled with among the viewers.
Jackson was appointed to the excessive court docket in 2022 after having been nominated by President Biden to succeed former Justice Stephen Breyer. She is among the three liberal justices on the excessive bench.
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