On Tuesday, April 16, Heartstopper star Kit Connor announced he will take the stage this fall as Romeo in the new Sam Gold-directed Broadway production of the classic Shakespeare play Romeo + Juliet. Alongside him, actor Rachel Zegler from the latest Hunger Games will play Juliet.
The day before the official announcement, Connor and Zegler teased their roles in the production with cryptic Instagram posts. The 20-year-old queer favourite posted a picture showing a turquoise ‘R+’, as his co-star published a similar image featuring ‘+J’.
Both posts hinted at Shakespeare’s renowned tale, as they were captioned with a sword and a heart emoji, and located in Verona, Italy, where the famous feud between the Montagues and Capulets takes place.
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The following day, the duo was officially confirmed to be playing star-crossed lovers in the modern Romeo + Juliet adaptation. The production will also feature original music by Grammy-winner and renowned Taylor Swift collaborator, Jack Antonoff. The three of them will make their Broadway debut in an apocalyptic version of the tragedy, as the announcement poster teases with: “The Youth Are F**ked”.
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The edgy take on one of the most famous love stories was emphasised by the official synopsis, which 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.”
As the press release similarly states: “Shakespeare’s timeless tragedy now belongs to a new generation on the edge.”
Tony Award-winning director Sam Gold stressed his intent with this new twist, saying: “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.”
It is not the first time that the Fun Home director has taken Shakespeare’s work to the stage, having already adapted plays like Macbeth, Othello and King Lear.
A Broadway first for the LGBTQ+ icon, Kit Connor already has several stage credits in London, notably for his role in Fanny & Alexander and Welcome Home, Captain Fox!. It is a busy year for the star as he is also set to take the lead in the mystery-horror film One Of Us and will continue in the role of Nick Nelson in the third season of Heartstopper, due to be released in October.
Most known for her recent role in The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes, American actor Rachel Zegler made her film debut in Steven Spielberg’s musical adaptation of West Side Story in 2021. The Golden Globe Award-winner shared her excitement at being cast in the upcoming Romeo + Juliet, showing a first glimpse of herself and Connor together accompanied by the caption: “personally feeling very chill”.
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Kit Connor and Rachel Zegler will take over Broadway as Romeo and Juliet in the fall, however, dates have yet to be announced. Tickets will go on sale in May for the latest adaptation of Shakespeare’s tragedy – one of many, as another theatre production is set to open in May in London, starring Tom Holland and Francesca Amewudah-Rivers.
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