On April 15, Kit Connor and Rachel Zegler both teased their next project on Instagram, leaving major hints in the form of a split post. Connor’s post featured a graphic with an “R” and a cut-off plus sign, while Zegler posted the other half of the graphic featuring a “J” and the other part of the plus sign. Both captioned the post “❤️🗡️” and tagged the location as Verona.
Fans following the two talents on social media began speculating what this could mean. Between the “R + J,” the caption, and the location, many fans like myself were anticipating the project to be related to William Shakespeare’s well-renowned Romeo and Juliet.
Just a day later, @romeoandjulietnyc on Instagram confirmed peoples’ suspicions. It was revealed that Broadway would be producing the show Romeo + Juliet in the fall of 2024, starring Connor as Romeo and Zegler as Juliet. Directed by Sam Gold, Romeo + Juliet will have music by Jack Antonoff and movement by Sonya Tayeh.
Although he’s been acting throughout his childhood, Connor most recently gained traction for his Emmy-winning role as Nick Nelson in Netflix’s adaptation of Alice Oseman’s Heartstopper. Many are unaware of Connor’s singing abilities. In 2019, he starred in the film Rocketman as young Elton John, where he had a vocal coach to help him capture young Elton’s voice.
Zegler is best known for her role as Maria in Steven Spielberg’s West Side Story movie musical, which won her a Golden Globe for Best Actress in a Motion Picture. The attention toward her increased after she commented in an interview at Disney’s D23 Expo in 2022 on her interpretation of the modern Snow White she’ll be playing, which didn’t go over well with traditional Snow White fans. Most recently, her performance as Lucy Gray Baird in The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes has shown those who didn’t know her exactly why she’s a Golden Globe award winner.
With such accomplished actors and singers as the leads, there’s no doubt that Romeo + Juliet will blow fans away. The production’s official synopsis reads: “The youth are f**ked. Left to their own devices in their parents’ world of violent ends, an impulsive pair of star-crossed lovers hurtle toward their inescapable fate. The intoxicating high of passion quickly descends into a brutal chaos that can only end one way.”
Gold has taken on Shakespeare’s plays before, so Romeo and Juliet is in good hands with him for a modern rendition. Gold’s goal as a director is to make this “a show this fall that celebrates youth and hope, and unleashes the anger young people feel about the world they are inheriting,” especially with the presidential election coming up in November.
Connor’s, Zegler’s, and Antonoff’s talents (Antonoff is well known for producing Taylor Swift’s music) are bound to capture the passion and tragedy of Shakespeare’s play. Sign up on romeoandjulietnyc.com for early access when tickets to the show go on sale in May to see the young actors’ Broadway debuts!
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