Rachel Zegler and Kit Connor are confirmed to make Broadway debuts in Romeo + ... trends now
Rachel Zegler and Kit Connor are set to make their Broadway debuts in one of Shakespeare's most enduring tragedies.
The 22-year-old West Side Story actress and the 20-year-old Heartstopper star will be teaming up to star in the title roles of Romeo + Juliet, a new adaptation of the immortal play from director Sam Gold, it was announced on Tuesday.
Connor and Zegler sparked speculation that they would be starring in the production when they posted the respective letters R and J on their Instagram pages, leading fans to assume they would lead a production of Romeo And Juliet, which was confirmed with the announcement.
In addition to marking the Broadway debuts of Zegler and Connor, the new production will also be the Broadway debut of musician and producer Jack Antonoff, 40 — best known for being one of Taylor Swift's go-to producers — as the production will feature new music from him.
'With the presidential election coming up in November, I felt like making a show this fall that celebrates youth and hope, and unleashes the anger young people feel about the world they are inheriting,' director Sam Gold said in a statement.
Rachel Zegler, 22, and Kit Connor, 20, will make their Broadway debuts in the title roles of Romeo + Juliet, a new adaptation of the immortal play from director Sam Gold, it was announced on Tuesday
Jack Antonoff, 40, the leader of Bleachers and one of Taylor Swift's go-to producers, will also make his Broadway debut by providing new music for the production; seen March 19 in London
The show's official synopsis indicates that it will take an edgier approach to Romeo And Juliet than more traditional productions.
'The youth are f***ed. Left to their own devices in their parents’ world of violent ends, an impulsive pair of star-crossed lovers hurtle towards their inescapable fate,' it reads. 'The intoxicating high of passion quickly descends into a brutal chaos that can only end one way.'
Gold is taking on Shakespeare's play, which was first published in 1597, after most recently helming an acclaimed production of Ibsen's An Enemy Of The People in an adaptation from Tony Award–nominee Amy Herzog.
The play has received particularly strong reviews for its cast, which is led by Succession's Jeremy Strong and The Sopranos and The White Lotus star Michael Imperioli.
Zegler hinted at the announcement on Monday night when she interrupted her Dior fashion show posts with an image of her with her face partially cropped as she flashed a peace sign.
'OK that's all. See you tomorrow (which could mean nothing),' she joked in the text.
After the announcement, she added on X (formerly Twitter): 'never beating the broadway debut allegations.'
Sonya Tayeh is also attached to the production to lead movement.
