As the New Star of Broadway's & Juliet, Gianna Harris Is Finding Her Light

Age: 20

Hometown: Hamilton, NJ

Current Role: On June 10, Gianna Harris stepped into the role of Juliet in & Juliet, a reimagined version of Shakespeare's famous tragedy set to the pop hits of Max Martin.

Credits: Harris made her New York stage debut serving as an understudy in School of Rock on Broadway, graduating to the role of Tomika for the national tour. Straight out of high school, she served as Maleah Joi Moon’s understudy in Hell’s Kitchen off-Broadway at the Public Theater and then at Broadway’s Shubert Theatre.

Dream On
For as long as Gianna Harris can remember, she has wanted to sing in front of a crowd. Growing up watching the vibrant, vivacious performers on America’s Got Talent, American Idol, the Disney Channel and Nickelodeon, she had the unmistakable sense that here were “her people.” “I put on shows for my parents all the time,” she said. On her eighth birthday, she unwrapped a karaoke machine—a gift from her grandmother. Around the same time, she was obsessed with the Glee-themed Karaoke Revolution game on the Nintendo Wii. Her parents could not help but notice the increased fervor and passion of those living-room concerts: “Dream On” by Aerosmith, with its lightning-bolt vocals, was a highlight of those early performances. “My family is not creative,” she said. “They all do, I guess I’d put it in quotes, ‘normal jobs.’” Harris' flair with the karaoke machine convinced them that it was time to enroll her in voice classes. “I think they saw, 'Oh wait, she really does enjoy doing this.'” 

Teach Your Children Well
Harris had two inspiring voice teachers—one focused on her musical theater voice, the other more focused on broader performance skills and “pop star kind of things.” As a vocalist, Harris feels equally drawn to Broadway and the stuff on the Billboard charts. “I feel like a lot of the way I sing and the way that I go about any song, I kind of blend the two genres without even trying.” Beyond teaching her to sing, Harris’ teachers helped her foster a real love of singing. She started competing in local talent competitions, winning several of them. Still a pre-teen, Harris sang at the famous Apollo Theater in Harlem, winning first place and scoring a 100 on the audience applause meter. Soon after that, she sang to her largest crowd yet at the Freestyle 30th Anniversary Concert at The Arena in Atlantic City's Taj Mahal. It was a turning point. “That moment I was like, 'Wow, I really like this. I really want to become a performer.'”

Rock Around the Clock
In early 2016, Harris landed the role of one of the backup singers in School of Rock on Broadway. She didn’t realize what a big deal it was to make her Broadway debut until she was older, she admits. “I was just so excited to be able to perform with a bunch of kids.” The adults of the School of Rock family— cast members, creatives, backstage personnel at the Winter Garden Theatre—looked out for the dozen or so kids in the cast; Alex Brightman would make an exemplary childcare professional, Harris said, surprising no one. “He’s the best because he’s just like a child at heart himself.” After graduating from the Broadway run of the show, Harris took on the role of Tomika, the bassist and singer of the School of Rock band, on the show’s national tour. Harris credits her years of gymnastic training—it was her main passion before music took over—for giving her the discipline necessary to keep up a hectic Broadway performance schedule. “I learned how to push through and to know my limits. Not only know my limits, but push them in a safe and healthy way. It has made me a performer with a lot of endurance.”

Grow for Me
After high school, Harris took a gap year. Plan A was to do whatever it took to find work as a performer. There was no Plan B. The conviction paid off. Within months, she found herself harmonizing with Alicia Keys in workshops for the musical Hell's Kitchen, and soon after that, she was understudying the lead role of Ali at the Public Theater. When the show transferred to Broadway, she went along with it. “I hold it so special,” said Harris of her time with the show. “It really shaped me as a person. But it is a different beast, being an understudy, because most nights you’re kind of just sitting there.” Backstage at the Shubert Theatre, there was a lot of laughter and a lot of “chit and chat.” “We were always hanging out—and if we weren’t hanging out, I probably was brain-rotting somewhere in a corner.” If she’s completely honest, though, more than a year into her Hell’s Kitchen journey, Harris wasn’t feeling “necessarily completely fulfilled” being an understudy on Broadway. She had moved to New York City and was living by herself for the first time. It was winter. Describing that time, she used the analogy of a plant wilting in a pot. “You have to exist in a place that you’re nourished. Sometimes you outgrow the pot.” 

What Light Through Yonder Window
When Harris’ agents emailed her suggesting she audition for the lead role in & Juliet, a Broadway show with which she was only vaguely familiar, she was less than enthusiastic. The gist of her emailed response was, “It’s not normally my vibe.” Then she actually saw the show. “I fell in love with it,” she said. “I remember going home that night and all I wanted to do was work on the material for the show. I was so excited.” Harris remembers standing at her apartment windows that night, after nightfall, gazing wistfully skyward—very Juliet. “I allowed myself to imagine what my life would be as Juliet.” The character’s arc—a journey towards empowerment and self-realization—resonated strongly with Harris. “In the end, she learns that you can control your destiny. You have to turn what you want into your own reality. I feel like when I saw the show, I was inspired to do that.” Now, one month into playing the role on Broadway, Harris credits the role with boosting her confidence and helping with her social anxiety. “Juliet is so confident. She’s so big and so joyful and so authentically herself. It’s been seeping into me.” As for performing that score—comprising pop hits mostly from before Harris was born—it's a bit like getting to play with the ultimate karaoke machine. “It feels very nostalgic. ‘Baby One More Time’ is such a classic.”