Guide to ‘Romeo + Juliet’ on Broadway, starring Kit Connor and Rachel Zegler

Kit Connor and Rachel Zegler are the latest pair to play the star-crossed lovers in Shakespeare’s classic, in a new version with music by Jack Antonoff.

Joe DziemianowiczJune 19, 2024, 04:00

What’s in a name? When it’s Romeo + Juliet, it’s a treasured Shakespeare tragedy about love, fate, and family. When it’s Kit Connor and Rachel Zegler, it’s two bright stars making their Broadway debuts as the titular doomed young lovers.

Add to that list Sam Gold (An Enemy of the People, Fun Home), who directs the production, and Jack Antonoff, writing original music for the show in his Broadway debut. After all, every love story needs a great playlist. All these names add up to a hotly anticipated fall theatre event.

Romeo + Juliet begins its limited Broadway run in late September. In advance, read our guide to this classic heartbreaker with a fresh-faced twist, and be sure to check out the play at the Circle in the Square Theatre.

Check back for information on Romeo + Juliet tickets on New York Theatre Guide.

What is Romeo + Juliet about?

Written by William Shakespeare in the 1590s (and likely read by you in school centuries later), Romeo and Juliet (stylized for this revival as Romeo + Juliet) is a tragic play about two young lovers from bitterly feuding families in Verona. Their forbidden love leads to secret marriage, miscommunication, and numerous untimely deaths.

Where is Romeo + Juliet playing?

Romeo + Juliet is at the Circle in the Square Theatre, located at 235 W. 50th St. Designed by Alan Sayles and built in 1970, the intimate 623-seat theatre is located inside the Paramount Plaza office tower. It is adjacent to the larger Gershwin Theatre, which houses the long-running musical Wicked.

Productions at the Circle in the Square are staged in the round, as the audience is seated on three sides of the stage. Recent plays and musicals there include An Enemy of the People, Melissa Etheridge: My Window, KPOP, American Buffalo, Chicken & Biscuits, and Oklahoma!

How long is Romeo + Juliet?

Romeo + Juliet has yet to release its run time. A traditional production of Romeo + Juliet in full averages around 3 hours, though Shakespeare plays are often abridged due to their length.

The running time for a Broadway play can range anywhere from 90 minutes to 3 hours, and longer ones often have one 15-minute intermission.

What days is Romeo + Juliet playing?

Romeo + Juliet is expected to run Tuesday through Sunday, with two performances on Wednesdays and Saturdays and no performances on Mondays. The production begins performances on September 26 and is currently slated to run for 16 weeks, through January 19.

When did Romeo + Juliet premiere?

The earliest documented performance of Romeo + Juliet was in 1662. Since then, the play has been produced and adapted countless times around the world.

The play made its Broadway debut in 1754 and has already had 36 previous revivals, most recently in 2013 with Orlando Bloom and Condola Rashad as the lovebirds.

The 2024 revival begins performances on September 26, 2024.

Who wrote Romeo + Juliet?

William Shakespeare wrote Romeo + Juliet early in his career. It is one of his most popular and most performed plays in his acclaimed body of work.

Shakespeare often dove into the intensity and complexities of human desire and emotions, the destructive nature of familial divides, and the dire consequences of miscommunication. Variations on these themes appear his other tragedies, such as Othello, which will be seen on Broadway in the spring.

For the 2024 revival, Jack Antonoff wrote original music to accompany the play. Antonoff is the founder of the indie band Bleachers and a songwriter/producer known for working with artists like Taylor Swift.

Romeo + Juliet characters

In addition to the star-crossed couple, characters include relatives and friends tangled in Romeo and Juliet's secret, tragic affair.

Romeo Montague: A young man who falls deeply in love with Juliet, leading to a tragic romance.
Juliet Capulet: A young woman who shares a forbidden love with Romeo.
Friar Laurence: A well-meaning priest who acts as a confidant for the lovers.
Nurse: Juliet’s loyal and talkative aide.
Benvolio Montague: Romeo’s peace-loving cousin and friend.
Mercutio: Romeo’s spirited friend whose fate escalates the conflict between the Montagues and Capulets.
Tybalt Capulet: Juliet’s hot-tempered cousin, whose hatred for the Montagues fans the flames of the family feud.
Paris: A nobleman who wishes to marry Juliet and has the support of her parents.
Lord Capulet: Juliet’s father.
Lady Capulet: Juliet’s mother.
Lord Montague: Romeo’s father.
Lady Montague: Romeo’s mother.

What songs are in Romeo + Juliet?

Jack Antonoff, of the indie pop band Bleachers, wrote original music for the 2024 revival of Romeo + Juliet on Broadway. The show is not a musical, however; Antonoff's music is more likely comparable to a film score for the play.

The production did release a music video of the Bleachers song "Tiny Moves" featuring Kit Connor and Rachel Zegler.

What awards has Romeo + Juliet won?

The new Broadway adaptation of Romeo + Juliet has not yet been honored with awards, but it will be eligible for this season’s upcoming awards.

Major productions of Romeo + Juliet

Romeo and Juliet has had numerous major productions since its mid-17th-century premiere and debut on Broadway in 1754. Significant presentations with celebrated actors have been popping up on stages ever since. Here is a rundown of some of the most famous productions in history.

1662: Romeo and Juliet has its first documented performance in England.
1754: Romeo and Juliet premieres on Broadway.
1934: Katharine Cornell and Basil Rathbone played the title roles in the 28th Broadway revival at the Martin Beck Theatre produced by Cornell.
1940: Peggy Ashcroft and Laurence Olivier, British stars both alike in dignity, headlined this run in London’s West End.
1951: Two-time Oscar winner Olivia de Havilland made her Broadway debut as Juliet opposite Douglas Watson as Romeo.
1960: Julie Harris, a five-time Tony winner, and Canadian actor Bruno Gerussi starred in the first production of Shakespeare’s play at the Stratford Festival in Ontario, Canada.
1968: Christopher Walken starred as one half of the doomed couple in this Stratford Festival revival. Juliet was played by Louise Marleau. The story was transported from fair Verona to 19th century France.
1976: Francesca Annis and Ian McKellen made their marks as the duo in this Royal Shakespeare Company production in the U.K. The stars signed Romeo and Juliet's names in their own handwriting to create the show’s logo.
2007: Michael Greif (Hell’s Kitchen, The Notebook on Broadway) directed Oscar Isaac and Lauren Ambrose in this production at the Delacorte Theater in Central Park.
2012: A timeless tale defies age when it comes to its core couple. Meryl Streep and Kevin Kline played the star-crossed couple in a benefit performance in Central Park in honor of The Public Theater’s 50th anniversary.
2013: Orlando Bloom and Condola Rashad headlined this Broadway run at the Richard Rodgers. Also in the cast: Jayne Houdyshell as Juliet’s nurse, Justin Guarini as Paris, and Chuck Cooper as Lord Capulet.
2024: Tom Holland, aka Spiderman/Peter Parker on screen, stars with Francesca Amewudah-Rivers in a minimalist London production directed by Jamie Lloyd (A Doll’s House, Sunset Boulevard on Broadway).
2024: Kit Connor, who’s known for Heartstopper and Rocketman, and Rachel Zegler, who won a Golden Globe for playing Maria in Steven Spielberg’s West Side Story, step up as the star-crossed duo on Broadway.

Onscreen adaptations of Romeo + Juliet

A filmed production of Romeo + Juliet on Broadway in 2024 hasn’t been made. But the play has been adapted into big-screen and TV productions that have given audiences the opportunity to appreciate its evergreen appeal. Here are some of the most notable Romeo and Juliet screen adaptations.

1936: Director George Cukor’s big-screen adaptation received four Oscar nominations including best actress for Norma Shearer, who played Juliet to Leslie Howard’s Romeo.
1954: Laurence Harvey and Susan Shentall fall hard fast – and fatally – in director Renato Castellani’s movie that was hailed for visuals shot in Italy. The film won the Golden Lion at the Venice Film Festival.
1968: Director Franco Zeffirelli’s film adaptation, starring Leonard Whiting as Romeo and Olivia Hussey as Juliet, won Academy Awards for Best Cinematography and Best Costume Design.
1996: Leonardo DiCaprio and Claire Danes assumed the title roles in director Baz Luhrmann’s modernized adaptation set in the fictional Verona Beach and to an irresistible contemporary soundtrack. “Young Hearts Run Free,” indeed!
2013: “The most dangerous love story ever told.” That’s what the poster reads for this big-screen take starring Hailee Steinfeld (True Grit), who was just 14 when she was cast to star with Douglas Booth. Julian Fellowes (The Gilded Age, Downton Abbey) wrote the screenplay.
2021: Josh O’Connor (Challengers) and Jessie Buckley (The Lost Daughter) starred in director Simon Godwin’s film. They were meant to perform the show live in London, but due to the Covid-19 pandemic, it was filmed in an empty theatre instead.

Fun facts about Romeo + Juliet

Learn about why Juliet is a role for the ages, a joyous current hit show spun from the tragedy, and more delightful details about Romeo + Juliet below.

Age is just a number. Per the script, Juliet is 13, but Meryl Streep was 62 when she played the role and declared “O happy dagger!”
The full title of the play is The Most Excellent and Lamentable Tragedy of Romeo and Juliet.
The Oscar-winning movie Shakespeare in Love revolves around the creation of Romeo and Juliet. In it, Viola (Gwyneth Paltrow), a noblewoman who dreams of acting but is forbidden due to her gender, disguises herself as a man to land the role of Juliet.
Romeo and Juliet has inspired movies, ballets, operas, and musicals. A famous one is West Side Story, which replaces the feuding families with rival NYC gangs.
The current Broadway musical & Juliet tweaks the classic tragedy by reimagining what could happen if – spoiler alert – Juliet didn’t die along with Romeo. That show is set to pop music hits by songwriter/producer Max Martin.

How to get Romeo + Juliet tickets

Romeo + Juliet is an enduring love story and a cautionary tale about the perils of family feuds. Don’t miss your chance to see Kit Connor and Rachel Zegler in this new production on Broadway — the careers of these fast-rising stars are anything but star-crossed.