Take a break from doom scrolling, and go see & Juliet. Trust me, you’ll thank me. 

I am not the biggest Jukebox musical fan, I am however a sucker for late 90s/early 2000s pop music, and the works of William Shakespeare. 

& Juliet is like a fever dream combining discussions from my AP English class, and my favorite mix CD comprised of Back Street Boys, Britney Spears, and *NSYNC––Yes kids, before we could make playlists, we used to burn mix cds with all our favorite songs, it was a great time. 

The play explores the question all us Drama and English nerds have asked, what if Juliet never killed herself? But it is explored through the editorial lens from Shakespeare’s wife Anne Hathaway. 

What we get is a sparkling story with new characters including Juliet’s queer best friend Mae, fabulous costumes, and a killer soundtrack. 

The Story 

Let’s face it, we all know the story of Romeo and Juliet. Every generation has had their adaptation, from the 1968 Zaffirelli film to the 1996 stylized Baz Luhrman masterpiece. 

& Juliet makes the audience think critically about Juliet, the choices she had, and the incredibly sucky system she lived in. After all, the girl was 13 and her parents were already eager to marry her off to Paris even before Romeo entered the picture. 

It is refreshing to tell a new story. Not only is this story new, but our main cast of characters from the original play like the Nurse, and even Romeo are given character development. 

The touring cast brings justice to all of their characters. Fabiola Caraballo Quijada shines and glimmers as our Juliet. Embodying both the innocence, and strength of our teen protagonist caught in the crosshairs of a society that wants to dictate what her life should be. 

Joseph Torres bring Himbo of the year to his Romeo. 

Kathryn Allison gives Juliet’s Nurse (here named Angélique) the flowers she has been due. Unlike the original story, here, we don’t see women beyond the age of say 14 as old haggard thorn backs. Nay, nay.

In this production Angélique serves as both a mother figure to Juliet, and as a woman who has a past of her own. A past filled with love, heartbreak, and passion. 

But the underrated new favorite character, is a character who was not written in the original Romeo and Juliet. Anne Hathaway (Shakespeare’s wife, not the Oscar winning actress) is the surprise Black horse of the play. 

Crystal Kellogg gives an endearing, jubilant, and real portrayal of Shakespeare’s wife. Anne was the real-life hero in Shakespeare’s life, maintaining their family and home in Stratford, while her husband was off writing plays in London. However, history has oftentimes only focused on Shakespeare and not the woman who helped him to rise. 

& Juliet finally gives Anne a voice. We the audience learn more about Shakespeare’s history, and a little bit about his relationship with his wife. The script interweaves historical fact, and some fiction to give us a true love story between Shakespear and Anne. 

Did I mention the entire musical is set to late 90’s early 2000’s pop music? Every one in this cast gives an iconic performance leaving the audience feeling like they just left a pop concert without the ear ringing. 

Sacramento has been lucky to have a Broadway hit like & Juliet to land here. If you want to escape the doom scrolling, be sure to go check out & Juliet. 

& Juliet is performing Sept 24-Oct. 5.  at the SAFE Credit Union Performing Arts Center in Sacramento. You can get tickets here. 

It truly is a lovely play, and my personal favorite musical I’ve seen in 2025.