A Theatre Review by D. Wesley Spencer Oct. 28 2026
One of my favorite theater professors at Franklin College (a small liberal arts college in Indiana) was a scholar on the women of Shakespeare. She, Julia McDermott, would often talk about how Romeo and Juliet was the beginning of a great comedy but ended up one of Shakespeare’s weaker tragedies.
I could hear her voice as I was watching & Juliet at the McCallum Theatre in Palm Desert. In some ways, & Juliet was like a dream with her, our daughter (23), and Shakespeare on the way to a Katy Perry concert—where the Backstreet Boys are the opening act.
& Juliet tells the story of what might have happened if Juliet had decided to live. It is told by Shakespeare and his wife, Anne Hathaway (no, not that Anne Hathaway). What if Juliet had left Verona and gone on an adventure with her two friends and her Nurse in Paris? What transpires is Juliet’s search to find love, but she ends up finding herself.
It is important to note that during Elizabethan times, when Shakespeare was writing, a comedy was not defined by how much or how little we laughed, but instead by whether the play ended in marriage or death for the primary characters. In those terms, & Juliet is neither a comedy nor a tragedy—although there are lots of laughs.
Of course, Juliet is really at the center of all this. In Shakespeare’s original play, she falls in love with Romeo, marries him within days, and finds herself caught between her family’s expectations and a love she barely has time to understand. Her parents have their own ideas about whom she should marry, and what begins as young love becomes a tragedy.
In & Juliet, Anne Hathaway is determined to give her another chance. But changing the ending of a play doesn’t necessarily eliminate the complications of being in love. Juliet meets Francois in Paris, another young man struggling with a father’s expectations, and before long, marriage is once again on the table. Juliet’s parents still want to determine her future, Francois’ father has plans for his, and Juliet is confronted with the possibility of rushing into another relationship before she has had time to understand the first one.
Then, just when things might begin to make sense, Shakespeare brings Romeo back into the picture. Now we have a love triangle, although with May’s feelings for Francois, the Nurse’s rekindled romance with Lance, and Shakespeare and Anne continually interfering with the story, the triangle soon acquires a few extra sides. What follows is something of a comedy of errors, with everyone trying to determine whom they love, whom they should marry, and who should have the final word.
And that is really Anne’s point. She isn’t simply trying to replace one romantic ending with another. She wants Juliet to have a contemporary woman’s opportunity to discover what she wants from life, even when the people around her are convinced they already know.
The premise of the show is better than the show itself. Sometimes the stock characters and seemingly predictable jokes wore a little thin, and nearly every song was an anthem. The show, in many ways, was written for a younger audience, and I am all for getting younger people to live theater and even introducing them to the Bard. I think my twenty-something kids would love this show.
The book is fun enough, but I’d like to have seen a little more of the book and a little less of the music. The show was so high-energy (usually a good thing) that it gave the audience little time to rest.
Now, my husband, Marty, has a somewhat different perspective. While I come from an extensive education and professional experience in theater, he doesn’t. That doesn’t mean he doesn’t have an opinion. In fact, after spending much of his life working across the arts, he has quite a few. He just can’t sing or dance, which has never stopped him from appreciating those who can. So, occasionally, I listen to him.
And perhaps that is where & Juliet becomes a little more interesting, at least for the two of us. After years together, we have learned that sharing a life doesn’t necessarily mean sharing the same perspective. In fact, we can sit next to one another, watch exactly the same production, and come away having seen two somewhat different shows. It is a continuing reality of any relationship, and one that Shakespeare and Anne Hathaway seem to understand all too well.
There are very clever moments, such as “I Kissed a Girl” between May and Francois, where the rather stereotypical LGBTQ+ friend finds love. Actually, the character May has one of the most heartfelt moments, breaking through the box of the stereotype in the number “I’m Not a Girl, Not Yet a Woman.”
Angelique (Juliet’s Nurse) and Lance (Francois’ father) kill it in “Teenage Dream/Break Free,” showing some real skill as seasoned performers who own their characters and have the audience in the palms of their hands. (Spoiler ahead.) I was glad to see the Nurse find some happiness since she is one of my favorite characters from Romeo and Juliet, as well as in & Juliet. And, of course, Juliet’s anthem, “Roar,” is one of the highest points of the show.
The banter between Shakespeare and Anne is where much of the humor and conflict of the play is found, as Anne fights for Juliet’s happiness, and indeed her own. Shakespeare and Romeo become easy to love to hate—maybe hate is a strong word—as they mansplain their way through the show.
This is where Marty found much of the story’s appeal. Without the benefit—or perhaps the burden—of studying Shakespeare, he saw the relationship between Shakespeare and Anne as the thread holding the entire production together. Anne is tired of all his tragedies and wants to give Juliet a different ending, one that reflects a more contemporary woman’s perspective. Shakespeare, meanwhile, keeps trying to rewrite what Anne has rewritten. Neither seems particularly interested in giving up control of the story.
Marty found that ongoing struggle to be the heart of the show. Anne wants to change the story, Shakespeare wants to maintain control of it, and somewhere between them, Juliet is trying to find a life of her own.
What makes the ending work, particularly from Marty’s perspective, is that Anne finally gets to make her point. Juliet does not have to marry someone simply because her parents expect it, because a young man proposes, or because Shakespeare has decided that marriage would make a convenient ending. She can consider her feelings for Romeo, Francois, and the people who have become part of her life without surrendering the right to decide what happens next.
In that sense, the ending is far more contemporary than simply allowing Juliet to survive. Anne has given her the opportunity to make her own decisions, and even to change them. After all, that is much closer to the reality of relationships than the idea that falling in love automatically settles everything.
I suppose there is something familiar about two people who spend their lives together, each certain they understand what is going on, while continually discovering that the other sees things differently. The difference between Shakespeare and Anne and Marty and me may be that we have learned to let the other finish a sentence—at least occasionally.
But Marty’s point is a good one. The relationship between Shakespeare and Anne is not simply a device to move the story along. Their disagreements, compromises, and competing expectations mirror the very questions Juliet is confronting. Who gets to decide how our lives unfold? How much of our happiness depends on someone else’s expectations? And can two people love one another without necessarily agreeing on how the story should end?
The traveling production at the McCallum is very well acted and sung, and the ensemble is full of life and enthusiasm; they are easy to fall in love with. In fact, it is easy to enjoy the show.
And across the entire production, the level of talent among the principal performers and the ensemble is exceptional. There is a sheer joy in hearing these performers deliver song after song, often while executing demanding choreography, with the kind of confidence and precision that makes it all look effortless.
This was something Marty particularly appreciated. He understands just how difficult it is to sing at that level while dancing, maintaining character, interacting with other performers, and making certain the audience never sees the work involved. The physical control, breath, timing, and stamina required are remarkable. To achieve all of that while making it appear so natural is a real accomplishment for any performer.
Perhaps because he cannot sing or dance himself, he finds that level of ability particularly extraordinary. But he recognizes the discipline and countless hours of preparation that make it possible. For him, the joy of watching these performers do something so exceptionally well was reason enough to enjoy the evening.
And I agree. Whatever reservations I may have about the book or the number of musical anthems, there is no denying the talent on that stage. The principal performers give their characters energy and personality, and the ensemble sustains a level of enthusiasm that never seems to diminish. Those performances are among the most memorable gifts this production offers its audience.
The costumes are really well thought out in the way they blend Elizabethan clothes with contemporary flair. The set, at times, was a little distracting with all of the moving projections. The live band/orchestra was masterful, and at times it felt like a rock concert. This is Shakespeare meets rock, like Jesus Christ Superstar, but fun.
Marty agreed that the projections could sometimes distract from the movement, singing, and dancing onstage, but he also appreciated what the designers were accomplishing. They were creating the illusion of two countries and several locations within the limitations of a theatrical stage. The projections and moving scenery gave the production dimension and helped establish the changing locations without overwhelming the performers.
From his perspective, that is exactly what good scenery should do: set the stage, support the action, and stay out of the performers’ way. And, for the most part, he thought it succeeded. We agreed on the occasional distraction, even if he was somewhat more forgiving of the reason for it.
Our musical backgrounds are different as well. While I was enjoying the theatrical possibilities of the pop anthems, Marty, whose musical interests have leaned more toward country rock and the music of everyday American experience, didn’t necessarily connect with every song. But that didn’t seem to matter much to him. He was far more impressed by the extraordinary range of talent required to deliver those songs, the dancing, and the relentless energy of the production.
I guess my biggest criticism of the show is that it is too much fun, and I wanted a little more character. Now, to be fair, that is often my issue with jukebox musicals. When the anthems rang out, such as “Everybody (Backstreet’s Back)” and “Can’t Stop the Feeling,” the audience was eating it up, and I, too, was tapping my toes and even on my feet at one point.
Marty, on the other hand, wasn’t particularly concerned that the show hadn’t delivered some earth-shattering reinterpretation of Shakespeare. For him, the premise was clever enough to support what the production set out to do: entertain. He wasn’t expecting it to change his understanding of Elizabethan drama. He wanted an enjoyable evening at the theater, and that is exactly what he got.
He also reminded me of something that those of us who spend a great deal of time analyzing theater sometimes overlook. We may experience a performance as individuals, but we are rarely experiencing it alone. We are sharing that moment with hundreds of other people, each bringing their own lives, expectations, memories, and experiences into the theater.
And the audience at the McCallum was having a wonderful time. Some were having a very wonderful time. The laughter, applause, and enthusiasm were as much a part of the evening as anything happening onstage. Marty saw that response as another measure of the production’s success. The performers were giving the audience exactly what it had come to experience, and the audience was giving that enthusiasm right back.
I can’t really argue with that, although I might still wish for a little more character between the musical numbers.
Perhaps that is where Marty and I find ourselves in much the same position as Shakespeare and Anne. We can look at the same story, appreciate different things, question each other’s conclusions, and still arrive at a shared understanding. Neither perspective needs to be wrong for the other to be right. After all, relationships, whether onstage or off, are a continuing negotiation between two people who are always discovering something new about themselves and each other.
And isn’t that what Juliet’s story finally becomes? She begins as a young woman whose future seems to have been decided by everyone except herself. Anne gives her another chance, but Juliet still has to sort through the expectations, disappointments, affections, and mistakes that come with being human. Even the people who love her have to learn that loving someone does not necessarily give them the right to decide what is best for them.
The comedy comes from watching everyone struggle with that reality, often while being entirely convinced they are right. And, if we are willing to admit it, there is probably something of ourselves in almost every one of those characters.
Marty also has a way of looking at the arts that I find particularly appropriate here. A production like & Juliet represents an extraordinary collaboration among performers, musicians, designers, technicians, directors, and countless others whose work comes together to create a single experience. No one person creates that experience alone. All those individual talents and efforts come together for a few hours, and then, when the curtain falls, that particular performance is gone.
He sees that as a gift. What each of us takes away from it becomes our own, and what we remember may be very different from what the person sitting beside us remembers. That doesn’t diminish the experience. It is part of what makes live theater so remarkable.
And perhaps the best measure of whether a production has succeeded is something much simpler than either of us might have expected. Are we still talking about it the next day?
We are.
We are still talking about the performances, the music, the dancers, the scenery, the humor, and the remarkable talent that made it all possible. I am still thinking about Shakespeare, Anne, and whether the show might have benefited from a little more character development. Marty is still talking about the performers, their extraordinary abilities, and how successfully the production entertained an audience that was clearly enjoying every moment.
And both of us are still talking about Juliet, the choices she makes, and what her story might say about the relationships in our own lives.
That may be the most important thing we took away from the evening. We experienced the same production, saw it from two different perspectives, and discovered that both have merit. Rather like the two sides of the same coin, our experiences are different, but they are part of the same whole.
& Juliet runs through November 1 at the McCallum Theatre in Palm Desert. It is a fun, high-energy show, but don’t expect your English teacher’s Shakespeare.
Go see it. Enjoy the music, the dancing, the performances, and the extraordinary talent that has come together to give us an evening of theater. Take these two perspectives, compare them with your own experiences and relationships, and decide for yourself what you find in the story. You may see something entirely different from either of us, and that is perfectly fine.
There is something remarkable about a theatrical production that can entertain us, make us laugh, remind us of our own lives, and leave us talking about it long after the curtain has fallen.
I may have wanted a little more from the story. Marty found exactly what he came to see. We both recognize the remarkable gift these performers have given us, and we both enjoyed the evening.
And we are still talking about it.
Perhaps that is the point.
& Juliet runs through Sunday, November 1, 2026, at the McCallum Theatre, 73000 Fred Waring Drive, Palm Desert, CA. Tickets start at $64 and may be purchased through the McCallum Theatre’s official ticketing page or by calling the box office at (760) 340-2787. Evening and matinee performances are available.
About the Author
D. Wesley Spencer, Ph.D., is a writer, actor, director, arts educator, and He is the co-author of Universal Creative Intelligence: The Ultimate Survival Tools, a book exploring how creative thinking shapes learning, leadership, and human progress. (Soon to be released.)
He teaches communication at College of the Desert. Wesley brings a lifelong passion for theater and storytelling to every review he writes. As a columnist for The Palm Springs Tribune, Wesley covers theater, concerts, film, dining, local talent, and cultural events throughout the Coachella Valley. His reviews are known for their warmth, clarity, and deep respect for the power of the arts and the artists and communities they serve. Look for him within the local community theaters, as he follows his passion, to both act and direct. servicetoothers.uci@gmail.com
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