This is a column about Anne Hathaway. It’s also a column about Anne Hathaway.
Anne the former was born and lived in the Elizabethan era. Aside from being married to the playwright William Shakespeare, little is known about her.
Anne the latter lives in whatever era we’re in right now. Because she is a present-day actress and celebrity, everything is known about her.
Despite the identical spelling of their names, right down to that “e” at the end of Anne that doesn’t really do anything, little disambiguation is needed to clarify which Anne one might be discussing. However, in an abundance of caution, we will refer to them as Anne the Elder (Ms. Shakespeare) and Anne the Younger (actress, not married to Shakespeare).
With that out of the way, we must now confront the question readers, if there are any left, must be asking by now: For what purpose is this blog prattling on about Anne Hathaways?
Two reasons, one for each Anne.
For Anne the Younger, we’re celebrating the confirmation of The Devil Wears Prada 2 and the announcement of its May 1, 2026 release date. It’s the sequel to the 2006 comedy in which Hathaway played the harried assistant of a demanding fashion magazine editor played by Meryl Streep. The first film was a critical and commercial smash, most of the original cast is returning, and hopes are high that the sequel will match the biting wit of the 2006 film.
(We considered discussing the musical version of TDWP but decided against it. See for yourself.)
As for Anne the Elder, she’s coming to Straz! In a way.
Anne “Wife of the Bard” Hathaway is a character in the hit musical & Juliet, a revision of Romeo and Juliet in which Juliet finds out what life is like post-Romeo. Straz will present & Juliet Feb. 10-15 in Morsani Hall.
The action is set to a playlist of songs associated with Swedish producer/songwriter Max Martin, who is behind hits for Britney Spears, Backstreet Boys and many, many others.
Anne the Younger, born in 1982, was in her teens when many of Martin’s hits were in the airwaves, and has indeed cited Spears’ debut single, “… Baby One More Time,” (written and co-produced by Martin) as one of her favorite songs.
Anne the Younger also has said appearing on Broadway had been a dream and a goal of hers for a long time. Are you pondering what we’re pondering?
“Anne Hathaway in the role she was born to play.” “Hathaway Shines as Hathaway.” “Shakespeare Hits Us One More Time.” “Anne Hathaway IS Anne Hathaway.”
It may not be a match made in heaven but it will look killer on the marquee.
Should you need to brush up on your Shakespeare in anticipation of & Juliet, or you just want some hilarity in your life, Jobsite offers The Complete Works of William Shakespeare (Abridged) [Revised] [Again], Aug. 13-24 in Shimberg Playhouse. Covering all the plays and sonnets in 90 minutes, it’s sort of a Cliff’s Notes version of the bard, had Cliff’s Notes been taken over by Mad magazine and Monty Python. Fun and educational. Mostly fun.