How Stark Sands and Betsy Wolfe Found the Heart In & Juliet鈥檚 Pop Hits

For Tony nominee Stark Sands and Betsy Wolfe, the Backstreet Boys were the pinnacle of popstar power. Both remember exactly where they were when the boy band鈥檚 1999 hit single 鈥淟arger Than Life鈥� was released.

鈥淭he 鈥楲arger Than Life鈥� music video was a major event; it had a countdown clock in the corner of MTV for a whole week leading up to it.鈥� said Sands. 鈥淚 tuned into TRL every day, waiting for it to come out.鈥�

Wolfe vehemently agrees; 鈥淚 was a part of Junior Miss. At the California finals, we warmed up to 鈥楲arger Than Life鈥� every day for two weeks.鈥�

The song, cowritten by Brian Littrell with Max Martin and Kristian Lundin, broke the record for the longest running No. 1 in Total Request Live history. Now the pop anthem belongs to Sands鈥攈e sings the rousing opening number while in character as William Shakespeare in the new Broadway musical & Juliet.

鈥淚f you told that kid that one day he would be singing that song on a Broadway stage, I would have lost my mind,鈥� Sands says, laughing.

Based on the music of pop songwriting juggernaut Max Martin, & Juliet imagines a scenario where Juliet chooses life at the end of Shakespeare鈥檚 Romeo and Juliet. Using a smattering of Martin鈥檚 infectious earworms, including 鈥�... Baby One More Time鈥�, 鈥淭eenage Dream鈥�, 鈥淪ince U Been Gone鈥�, and more, the show is one part coming-of-age reclamation and one part pop concert. A smash on London鈥檚 West End, & Juliet has attracted cross-generational audiences with Martin鈥檚 iconic melodies, receiving three Olivier awards.

To Wolfe, Martin鈥檚 impact goes beyond entertainment, and into the fabric of pop culture itself- 鈥淧eople can鈥檛 comprehend that this one man has written all of these songs. His music is a part of my makeup as a human being. I remember where I was by which of his songs were No. 1 hits.鈥�

Sands nods in agreement, saying, 鈥淢ax has had the ability to steer the taste of music for 30 years. He evolves culture with his sound.鈥�

Betsy Wolfe and Stark Sands Heather Gershonowitz

Sands and Wolfe bring realistic gravitas to a musical that could have dramatically coasted on Martin鈥檚 catchy melodies. As Shakespeare and his wife, Anne Hathaway, the pair present meta-theatrical commentary throughout the show, navigating marriage woes as Shakespeare lives in the limelight, and Anne struggles with life as a stay-at-home mother. Their affection for each other motivates the proceedings, even when the character of Juliet ostensibly takes center stage.

鈥淚 knew we hit the jackpot at our first rehearsal together,鈥� says Wolfe. 鈥淚 mean, surely this relationship couldn鈥檛 come this easy. It shouldn't be this fun. This is our first time working together, and it was just there from the beginning.鈥�

Both veterans of the Broadway stage (Sands has two Tony nominations to his name, courtesy of Kinky Boots and Journey鈥檚 End, and Wolfe has tread the boards in Waitress, Falsettos, and The Mystery of Edwin Drood), they lead a company that consists primarily of Broadway debuts. Sands has enjoyed stepping up to the plate as a guiding hand: 鈥淏roadway can be overwhelming, even if you鈥檝e done it 10 times. There are 14 kids in this company who鈥檝e never done it before. It can be intimidating to ask questions, so I put myself in a position where they can ask me anything, both in and out of character as Shakespeare or as Stark.鈥�

Both Wolfe and Sands are the parents of young children, just like Shakespeare and Hathaway. While Wolfe鈥檚 two-year-old daughter only wants to listen to 鈥淪o Long, Farewell鈥� and 鈥淒o Re Mi鈥� from The Sound of Music, Sands鈥� children have quickly become megafans of Max Martin since Dad began work on the project (a family favorite is of course 鈥淟arger Than Life鈥�). 鈥淢y son taught himself how to play some of the songs on the piano, and I have videos of my daughter singing Kesha, which is pretty hilarious for a four year old,鈥� Sands says with a laugh.

The show isn鈥檛 just catchy melodies. The relationship between Shakespeare and Anne grounds even the most fantastical elements with a healthy dose of reality. 鈥淚 often wonder about what it would be like to meet someone, get together with them, get married, and immediately have kids,鈥� says Sands. 鈥淭hat was the starting point for these two: One of them has risen in stardom, and the other one has remained home to take care of the family. There are some things that are taken for granted.鈥�

Compared to Romeo, Juliet, and the other young characters throughout & Juliet, Shakespeare and Hathaway provide a more realistic perspective on happily-ever-after. As Juliet works through the fleeting nature of infatuation, the married couple grapple with the idea of love as an action, rather than an emotion.

From Wolfe鈥檚 perspective, the challenge of rewriting Romeo & Juliet is a welcome opportunity to right the imbalance between Shakespeare and Hathaway. 鈥淭here鈥檚 something beautiful about this being the night when something finally changes. For me, that鈥檚 really the heartbeat of the show,鈥� she says. 鈥淵es, it has elements of a pop concert, and it is very funny. But at the heart, it鈥檚 about second chances, and the work it takes to really form a partnership.鈥�