Iowan makes Broadway debut in musical '& Juliet'
MARSHALLTOWN, Iowa — A Marshalltown native made their Broadway debut in October in the jukebox musical, & Juliet.
Nicholas Cooper was introduced to show business as a child when they started performing in Christmas musicals at the First Presbyterian Church in Marshalltown. They fell in love with performing and continued honing their craft at Miller Middle School, Marshalltown High School, the Marshalltown Community Theater, and many more stages across Iowa.
'There were a lot of opportunities for us. Even being able to do show choir, I mean, a lot of my friends from surrounding communities were in a lot smaller schools and that wasn't an option for them,' they said.
In 2017, they graduated from Marshalltown High School and began studying drama at the Tisch School of the Arts at New York University.
Cooper's rise to Broadway took hard work. They worked as a professional dancer on cruise ships in Alaska and even did regional theater across the country.
In 2024, Cooper was working a benefit concert for the Trevor Project, called 'Night of Life.' At the concert, they was scouted by the talent agency CESD. With the help of their new agents, Cooper was able to expand their horizon, booking a Broadway audition for & Juliet.
After much anticipation, Cooper received a call in September where they was offered to be a swing in the musical. Swings play a pivotal role in productions because they learn multiple different parts and can step in whenever someone is injured or sick, sometimes with little notice.
'It was a call that I never thought I would receive,' said Cooper. 'To go into work everyday into a show that celebrates life and love in all of its forms, it's truly something beautiful.'
& Juliet made its Broadway debut in 2022. The jukebox musical shows what would happen next if Juliet from Shakespeare's famous play, Romeo and Juliet, didn't end it all over Romeo.
Despite not being a fan of most jukebox musicals, Cooper said & Juliet was an exception. They also said it was the best fit for them as a performer. Seeing a diverse cast with a Black female lead and having a gender nonbinary character play a principal role in the musical was what drew Cooper to work for it.
'I just remember being blown away and remember hearing about it and just being so interested by that,' said Cooper. 'Especially right now when trans people are being attacked on all sides… it feels necessary and important for me to be doing this right now.'
Cooper officially made their Broadway debut on October 29th at the Stephen Sondheim Theater, less than four weeks after they found out they got the gig.
'It's nerve wracking because they're [the audience is] expecting a show that's like solid because it has been running for two years now, and like we have only known it for like four weeks,' said Cooper.
However, they weren't the only new faces to the musical, or to Broadway. According to Cooper, a plethora of their castmates were making their Broadway debuts that day.
'The new cast actually outnumbered the returning cast, so it was a really beautiful experience learning the show alongside half of the cast,' they said. 'It felt like there was so much joy and love on the stage.'
They're now even working with celebrities like Tiktok star Charli D'Amelio and NSYNC's Joey Fatone.
'Both of them are super fun humans. Joey turned his dressing room into a club, like Club Joey Fatone. And they're both super down to earth, chill and bring in a lot of people,' said Cooper.
Cooper said it took a village to get to Broadway, and it started in Marshalltown where they had the opportunities to succeed.
They will be on Broadway at least until September 2025.
Click here for more information on & Juliet.
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
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