Everything You Need to Know About the New ‘Romeo & Juliet’
Kit Connor and Rachel Zegler take center stage in the newest Broadway adaptation directed by Tony-nominated director Sam Gold.
William Shakespeare’s tragic romance Romeo and Juliet has been revived once again on Broadway. This time, it stars Emmy Award winner Kit Connor and Golden Globe Award winner Rachel Zegler portraying the star-crossed, yet ill-fated Romeo and Juliet in Tony-nominated director Sam Gold’s adaptation. Gold promises to lend his trademark visceral and visionary production style to bring about a refined take on Shakespeare’s timeless tragedy.
Kit Connor rose to prominence as secondary student Nick Nelson in the Netflix teen series, Heartstopper which premiered in 2022. Connor's portrayal of Nick, a popular rugby player who comes to terms with his bisexuality, has earned him widespread recognition and praise. Prior to his breakout role, he portrayed a teenage Elton John in Rocketman and did voice over work for His Dark Material in 2019.
Rachel Zegler gained universal recognition for her breakout role as María in Steven Spielberg's 2021 adaptation of West Side Story. Zegler's performance earned her numerous accolades, including a Golden Globe Award for Best Actress in a Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy. She became the first actress of Colombian descent to win said award, as well as one of the youngest recipients. In addition to the film, Zegler has been cast in several high-profile projects, namely the live-action remake of Disney’s Snow White and a role in Shazam! Fury of the Gods.
Zegler and Connor join a long line of other creatives who’ve previously taken on the iconic roles, yet this adaptation has already proven to be a distinctive one. A synopsis of the revival reads, “The youth are fucked. Left to their own devices in their parents’ world of violent ends, an impulsive pair of star-crossed lovers hurtle towards their inescapable fate. The intoxicating high of passion quickly descends into a brutal chaos that can only end one way.”
Jack Antonoff makes his Broadway debut as well, taking on the role of music composer for the production. A frequent collaborator of talent such as Taylor Swift, Lana Del Rey, and Sabrina Carpenter, Antonoff spoke about his involvement in the project in an interview with Time Magazine. “I'm really enjoying it. It's all happening live, so there's a lot of arguing with synthesizer sounds. It's Shakespeare, but it's also so universal. My favorite part about it is it always makes you forget that two kids are going to die because it's so wrapped up in tension. It’s young, sad, and horny, all at once. Then you're like, ‘Oh my God, two kids killed themselves,’ and that's sort of the great trick of it,” he said.
Gold’s revival arrives a decade out from the last Romeo & Juliet portrayal on Broadway, the former starring Condola Rashad and Orlando Bloom as the titular characters. The Don Roy King-led production was the first Romeo & Juliet revival on Broadway since 1977 and received relatively favorable reviews.
This summer, Tom Holland made his return to the stage opposite newcomer Francesca Amewudah-Rivers in the West End production of Romeo and Juliet. Led by renowned British director Jamie Lloyd, the production began in May 2024 and ran for twelve weeks to with critics praising the pair's performance, despite the racial controversy surrounding the casting of Amewudah-Rivers as Juliet.
The play is currently showing at Circle in the Square theater, located in Manhattan’s midtown west and Hell’s Kitchen. Previews for the revival began on September 26th to critical acclaim. The show has already been extended prior to its official opening on October 24th, which is no easy feat.
