Like many Americans, Rachel Simone Webb read “Romeo & Juliet” in high school. Webb found the text timeless and a little tough to read.

“It was one of those pieces of literature where the language is extremely heightened,” Webb told the Herald. “It’s very difficult to understand so you have to read it a few times. But I still received the depth of (Juliet’s) character. Juliet and Romeo are clearly so much in love that it doesn’t matter who tells them not to be in love, not to be together, they will be together.”

Webb got a lot out of her high school English class. But it didn’t do much to prepare her to play Juliet.

The Texas native is currently on tour playing Shakespeare’s most iconic leading lady in “& Juliet.” The Broadway blockbuster reimagines the Elizabethan tragedy as bubbly comedy powered by modern pop in an alternative world where Juliet doesn’t end it all over Romeo — “& Juliet” runs Nov. 5 to Nov. 17 at Citizens Opera House.

“There are a lot of nods to Shakespeare’s text but there’s not much of his actual text in our play,” Webb said. “Juliet in ‘& Juliet’ is someone who takes her life in her own hands and walks it out with a lot of optimism.”

Technically, “& Juliet” is a jukebox musical. But unlike “Jersey Boys” or “Beautiful: The Carole King Musical,” this isn’t a biography set to an artist’s greatest hits. Instead, “Schitt’s Creek” writer David West Read’s book weaves a story through smashes from super producer-songwriter Max Martin — the Swedish pop juggernaut behind the Backstreet Boys’ “I Want It That Way,” Britney Spears’ “…Baby One More Time,’ and Kelly Clarkson’s “Since U Been Gone” (all of which and more are in the show).

“You’ll hear the audience react to a song that makes sense in the story and sometimes they laugh,” Webb said. “Then they realize that each song has a lot of heart to it, each moment has been created by David West Read… to include these songs.”

Webb can understand it’s a strange pitch. After all, do people really want Juliet Capulet belting out “Oops!…I Did It Again?” (The answer seems to be yes as the show scored nine Tony nominations last year and is about to begin its third year on Broadway.)

“When I was learning it for the first time, I’m sure I wondered if people would accept the show for what it is,” she said of her work as an understudy for Juliet during the 2022 pre-Broadway run in Toronto. “I remember reading it for the first time and it took me a second to understand the humor on the page. It’s much more boisterous when you see it. It’s much more empowering and impactful.”

This makes it not unlike Shakespeare’s “Romeo & Juliet,” which has bored many a classroom but shines on stage. Of course, maybe the play would be more engaging if teachers got to blast the Weeknd’s “Can’t Feel My Face” during a lesson. The Bard and Max Martin on the syllabus may not come anytime soon, thankfully you have “& Juliet” to mix up immortal literature and irrepressible pop.

For tickets and details, visit boston.broadway.com.