This is a Romeo and Juliet aimed unapologetically at Gen Z: Its two stars, fan-magnets Kit Connor and Rachel Zegler, are both recent teens. They lead a young cast, all but two of whom are making their Broadway debuts, in which the chorus is performed by a DJ, and the characters move (dance/ fight) collectively as if club kids in Sonya Tayeh’s frenetic, muscular (hormonal!) club culture choreography, wearing Enver Chakartash’s flashy club kid costumes, to new indie rock songs whose music and lyrics are written by multiple Grammy winner Jack Antonoff, frequent collaborator with Taylor Swift. And (for the junior members of the generation?) the lobby is filled with pink teddy bears.
The response on the night I attended was frequent, thunderous cheering; the most demonstrative audience for a Shakespearean tragedy I’ve ever seen. They cheered when the DJ announced at the get-go “Kit is playing Romeo” and “Rachel is playing Juliet,” cheered throughout the balcony scene; cheered at nearly every set change and whenever Connor and Zegler appeared in a new costume.
My inner English teacher is grateful to director Sam Gold for drawing a younger crowd (voluntarily, eagerly!) to Shakespeare. The production sometimes thrilled my outer theatergoer too. Sometimes, but not always. There are downsides to Gold’s presenting the tale of star-crossed lovers primarily through youthful energy. This is most apparent after intermission, when the action turns to quiet gravity and grief, and Shakespeare’s words matter more. The cast’s relative lack of stage experience is manifest in a flattening of both the poetry and the tragedy.
Even here, though, “Romeo + Juliet” in one way displays a greater respect for Shakespeare’s language than any previous Broadway production: Open captioning is available at every performance (Just ask for a seat where you can see the screen.)
Like most contemporary directors, Gold, who is also credited as the editor, trims the text. A traditional production would average around three hours; this one clocks in some forty minutes shorter (and remember, the show makes room for Antonoff’s songs as well.) Few will feel cheated by the cuts, which seemed mostly the Bard’s now-obscure wordplay.
But Gold also trims the cast. Shakespeare’s text has twenty-two named characters. This production has a cast of just ten (not counting the understudies.) Most portray two or three characters apiece. This makes it even harder for the individual actors to stand out. Even Gabby Beans, who made such a vivid impression in her Tony-nominated role of Sabina in “The Skin of Our Teeth” (and later in “Jonah”) is here reduced to telling us “I’m now playing the Friar,” after her Mercutio is killed off by Tybalt (Tybalt is played by Tommy Dorfman, who also portrays the nurse.) The most memorable supporting player is Sola Fadiran, who is fierce as Juliet’s father Capulet, but initially campy as Juliet’s mother Lady Capulet. (There is an effort to clear up the confusion, admirable but insufficient, with an oversized colorful postcard inserted into the Playbill with pictures of the characters divided into the House of Montague and the House of Capulet.)
Focusing on the supporting players’ individual performances, though, misses much of what makes this production so electric. It’s the collective, communal physicality. The Capulets and the Montagues rumble acrobatically, somewhat reminiscent of the Greasers and the Socs in “The Outsiders” (without all the rain.) The staging makes particularly good use of Circle in the Square, an often-challenging theater in the round, where this time even the catwalks are put to good use.
Kit Connor and Rachel Zegler have separately attracted an eager following because of a single screen role – Connor for Nick in the teen gay rom-com Netflix series “Heartstopper,” Zegler for Maria in Spielberg’s “West Side Story.” Gold takes advantage of their strengths. Juliet is singing to the crowd at the party where Romeo first sees her; Zegler has a voice, why not show it off?
Connor Is an athletic guy (who’s clearly been hitting the gym double time since Season 3.) Dressed here in various costumes that show off his physique — a black mesh muscle shirt, a white sleeveless t-shirt, a sparkling disco jumpsuit — he expresses his ardor through physical feats that wouldn’t be out of place in a reality-show competition.
This occurs most memorably in the balcony scene. Juliet is not on a balcony, but on a bed that has descended from the rafters, but is still hanging way up in the air. Romeo makes several attempts to climb up, at one point borrowing a chair to stand on, but he still can’t reach her. Is it a spoiler to tell you that with a tremendous thrust, he finally makes it, setting off the loudest and most sustained cheering of the night.
Belittle this all you want, but that balcony scene, more than almost any version I’ve seen, comes the closest to encapsulating young love.
Romeo + Juliet
Circle in the Square Theater through February 16, 2025.
Running time: Two hours and 20 minutes, including one intermission
Tickets: $99- $599. Digital lottery and in-person rush: $49
Directed by Sam Gold
Music by Jack Antonoff
Movement direction and choreography by Sonya Tayeh, scenic design by dots, costume design by Enver Chakartash, lighting design by Isabella Byrd, sound design by Cody Spencer, hair and wig design by Robert Pickens and Katie Gell, violence by Drew Leary, intimacy director Claire Warden, voice and text coach Gigi Buffington, dramaturgy and tex consultantst Michael Sexton and Ayanna Thompson
Cast: Kit Connor as Romeo, Rachel Zegler as Juliet, Gabby Beans as Mercutio and the Friar, Daniel Bravo Hernández as Abraham and Friar John, Jasai Chase-Owens as Gregory and servingman, Tommy Dorfman as the Nurse and Tybalt, Nihar Duvvuri as Balthazar, Sola Fadiran as Capulet and Lady Capulet, Missy Malek, Taheen Modak as Benvolio and apothecary, Timothy Oh, Gían Pérez as Samson/Paris/Peter, Susannah Perkins, and Daniel Velez.
Photos by Matthew Murphy and Evan Zimmerman
