One of the most well-known stories by William Shakespeare is out on Broadway with a completely different perspective on the old time romance! The new Romeo + Juliet play directed by Sam Gold has a distinct aesthetic that makes the adaptation even more interesting, making the audience not only watch a regular play, but have the experience of living inside the scene of a couple in love being rejected by society thanks to the 360 degrees stage, which means that there are no walls or corners and it is completely surrounded by the audience.
Even though the production is immaculate, the interpretation of Kit Connor (from Heartstopper) as Romeo and Rachel Zegler (from West Side Story) as Juliet are what got the audience and the critics impressed. Both actors made the characters interesting and funny with their own twists: their version of the famous characters on Broadway were one of the most talked about topics by people who watched the musical, but how did Kit and Rachel’s careers get to a point where they made one of the most iconic debuts on Broadway this year?
Kit Connor, from shy boy to Broadway actor
Kit has always been an actor, but his first major appearance was in 2019 as Elton John‘s child version in Rocketman. After that, when he was 16 years old, he auditioned for the famous Netflix series Heatstopper and got the main role of Nick Nelson, a bissexual boy who is trying to find who he really is, and Kit even won an Emmy for the portrayal of the character!
After the third and last season of Heartstopper was released, Connor looked forward to making his debut on Broadway as Romeo, in Romeo + Juliet with Rachel Zegler. According to an interview given to Vulture in his Heartstopper era, he admitted to being open for challenging roles, like Romeo in this different interpretation of the character.
I want to play roles that are interesting and challenging, whether they’re queer roles or straight roles.
Kit Connor during his interview to Vulture
Rachel always wanted this Broadway appearance
Since she was a little girl, Rachel’s passion for musicals and singing was huge. When she got the major role of the musical movie West Side Story (2021), she was still in high school and won a Golden Globe for her amazing interpretation on the movie. After her success, she made appearances in movies like Shazam! Fury of the Gods (2023) and the Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes.
Rachel has expressed that her debut on Broadway as Juliet with Kit Connor means so much to her, as she has always been a musical nerd. In 2025, Rachel will be starring as the main role in Snow White in the theaters, acting along with Gal Gadot and directed by Marc Webb.
SO, WHAT ABOUT THE SHOW?
The musical will be exhibited on Broadway until February of 2025, and almost all the tickets for 2024 are sold out. The spectacular appearance of Kit and Rachel make the musical have the intensity it needs. With the unimaginable recreation of the story that keeps being told over 500 years, Romeo +Juliet shows the Gen Z perspective of prohibited romance on new, but still relevant, eyes.
—————————————
The article above was edited by Marina di Bernardo Babichak.
Liked this type of content? Check Her Campus Cásper LĂbero home page for more!