''Bethel Merriday'' is a 1940 novel by

Sinclair Lewis Harry Sinclair Lewis (February 7, 1885 – January 10, 1951) was an American writer and playwright. In 1930, he became the first writer from the United States (and the first from the Americas) to receive the Nobel Prize in Literature, which was ...

. It is a book depicting the journey of an aspiring young actress, and her life in a touring company. The company is performing a then-modern update on ''

Romeo and Juliet ''Romeo and Juliet'' is a tragedy written by William Shakespeare early in his career about the romance between two Italian youths from feuding families. It was among Shakespeare's most popular plays during his lifetime and, along with ''Ham ...

''.https://www.kirkusreviews.com/book-reviews/sinclair-lewis-2/bethel-merriday/ Kirkus

References

1940 American novels Romeo and Juliet {{1940s-novel-stub