Joey Fatone of *NSYNC is in the touring musical ‘& Juliet’ — and he sings an old rival’s song
CHICAGO — In “Romeo & Juliet,” Shakespeare gives away the ending right at the play’s beginning. A “pair of star-cross’d lovers take their life,” he writes of the story’s teenage protagonists in the play’s prologue. But what if the story took a different turn? What if Juliet lives after all, and sets out to find a new love?
That’s the premise of the jukebox musical “& Juliet,” which comes to Chicago with a boldface name in the cast. That would be Joey Fatone, who rose to fame with the ’90s boy band *NSYNC, and who has since expanded his career into acting, both on screen (“My Big Fat Greek Wedding”) and on Broadway.
Last year, he joined the Broadway cast of “& Juliet” for a limited time, playing Lance, the father of the young man who becomes Juliet’s love interest. Fatone is back in the role once again, both on Broadway and for the national tour’s Chicago stop.
The show features the music of Swedish pop songwriter Max Martin, who has written hits for Britney Spears, Backstreet Boys, Katy Perry, Bon Jovi, Ariana Grande and, yes, *NSYNC.
“It’s a really cool show that incorporates that pop element and adds a fun twist to the Shakespeare story,” said Fatone, who noted that his time in Chicago will coincide with Lollapalooza, as well as a stop on Ariana Grande’s tour. “So a lot of things happening in Chicago when we’re there.”
Q: You joined *NSYNC when you were pretty young, but were you a theater kid before that?
A: Yeah! In high school, I did musicals. And I did a lot of Shakespeare, believe it or not. I did the Scottish play (“Macbeth”) where I played Macduff. And I also did “The Merchant of Venice.” My high school became a magnet program for the arts, so instead of just one play a year, we did three. We did a Shakespeare play, then we did a small one-act play, then we did a big musical. So I got to do a whole bunch of musicals like “The Music Man” and “West Side Story.” I got really attached to doing theater.
And then right after I graduated from high school I joined *NSYNC, so I didn’t really have a chance to pursue anything else.
Q: So it’s possible you might have pursued a career in theater if the *NSYNC opportunity hadn’t come along?
A: A hundred percent. I know my career definitely would have been somewhere in the entertainment business, whether performing on a cruise ship or on Broadway or singing in a coffeehouse. After I did *NSYNC, it opened these other doors, so I was like, I would love to audition for a musical.
Q: Sometimes in show business, when you reach a certain level of success, you don’t have to audition. But you auditioned?
A: I honestly wanted to because I was like, what if I suck? I had that mentality because up to that point, I was singing in a group of five people, and I don’t sing a whole lot of leads in *NSYNC. That’s not a bad thing, but it meant people never heard my voice solo, so they didn’t know if I could do it or not. So I said, “I would love to audition” and the reaction was like, “Oh my god, he can do this!” So I auditioned for “Rent” and I ended up playing Roger.
The funny part was, they were seeing if I could do eight shows a week. When I signed on for “Rent” (in 2002), it was for six months, and I think they were taking bets to see how long it would be before I called out. And I never called out.
Q: That kind of schedule must be strenuous, but I’m guessing no more strenuous than being on tour with the band.
A: And back in the day, it was even a little crazier before we became big and did arena shows. When we were still doing theater shows, there were times when we did two shows a day and we were like, “We are never doing this again,” because it’s exhausting.
Broadway can be just as brutal. So for certain parts, I totally understand why people need a break. Like when I did “Little Shop of Horrors” (in 2003), I did not realize how vocally demanding it was going to be. But it was a great challenge of “How am I going to be able to do eight shows a week and sustain this?”
I wanted to play Seymour because I didn’t think anyone would expect a big Seymour! Usually the characters I play are standing with broad shoulders, whereas Seymour was hunched in, so it was fun to defy expectations. People see me as this big personality doing comedy, but I also love to get an opportunity to do things — like the horror films that I’ve done — that are outside of the box.
Q: You’re obviously accustomed to a live audience, was it a seamless transition from performing with a musical act to performing in a musical?
A: It was, it’s just a little different because I can’t break character. When I was on stage doing live shows with the band, I could just be myself, I could talk, I could stop the song, I could do whatever the hell I wanted. Here, there’s a structure. I can’t break the fourth wall.
Q: I wonder if some audiences try to get you to anyway? There’s an actress on “The Pitt,” Isa Briones, who was in the Broadway musical “Just in Time” this past spring and she posted on social media reminding fans in the audience that “Broadway is not a circus. Do not yell whatever you want at the performers.” It’s possible they were first-time theatergoers who didn’t know any better and were so excited to see her in-person on stage that they ended up being disruptive and interrupting the performance. Have you experienced anything like that?
A: Yeah. They sometimes think they’re at a concert and they scream a lot louder than the normal theatergoers. We get it! Relax. But that can be entertaining and fun and boost our energy in this show in particular, especially in this one scene where we’re dancing like a boy band. So we get it. That’s fine.
But you should know: When we’re on stage, we can see everyone in the audience. It’s no joke. We see you on your phones. We see if you have a camera. We see if you’re recording anything. We see if you’re picking your nose. We see if you’re whispering or eating candy. We can see it all. So it’s hysterical when people are trying to get away with something, because you’re not. It’s live! It’s not a movie theater!
But if this is your first time going to a show, look up “What is theater etiquette?” on YouTube. Maybe I should do a video.
Q: “& Juliet” includes *NSYNC songs, but ironically you don’t sing any of them. In fact, you sing songs from a different boyband altogether, Backstreet Boys.
A: That’s pretty much all I sing! Back in the day, it might have been a little weird to do that, but not anymore. Nowadays it’s a little different. I did a concert with (Backstreet member) AJ McLean not long ago and we would sing each other’s songs. So it doesn’t seem bad or horrible now, it’s just fun. And they’re bangers! You can’t be mad at a great song like “Quit Playing Games (With My Heart).”
It’s nostalgic now. Let’s be real, I’m getting old. I’m almost 50, for crying out loud.
Q: I see that you and fellow *NSYNC member Lance Bass have shot a reality show for E! called “Cocktail Wars.” A premiere date hasn’t been announced yet, but I have to ask, what is your favorite drink?
A: I’m a rum drinker and I love Captain Morgan, but I got turned onto a rum called Diplomático. Just drink it over ice. It’s really good. Then another thing I tasted that I’d never had before, also best on the rocks, was Jack Daniels Blackberry. That was amazing.
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When: July 22 through Aug. 2
Where: Auditorium Theatre, 50 E. Ida B. Wells Drive, broadwayinchicago.com
Tickets: Start at $66
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