The 'Romeo + Juliet' adaptation defining a generation
Kit Connor and Rachel Zegler stun as trendy, starcrossed lovers
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(This review contains spoilers, though I hope you already know what happens in Romeo and Juliet).
Teddy bears, floating beds, sparkly dresses, and make-out sessions.
In the two hours and ten minutes this Broadway Shakespeare adaptation took place, minimalistic maximalism consumed the stage as audiences got a snapshot into the heart of Gen Z where it’s fun, fruity, and a little dark.
First of all, New York City’s Circle in the Square theater was absolutely jaw-dropping without a bad seat in the house. Even the standing-room-only tickets (which I was horrified to find out about as someone with creaky joints) got up close and personal with the stars of the show.
In Romeo + Juliet, instead of medieval clothing, characters wore oversized jean shorts, T-shirts with catchphrases like “Gift from God,” glittery ensembles, leather boots, mini skirts, and baggy jeans. Red lighting washed over you, and the spotlights fluctuated between purple, blue, and pink.
The show was fully immersive – actors above you, below you, around you. People come out of the floor, they climb ladders and stomp along the rafters. The cast was altogether fearless and fluid, clicking into each scene, interaction, and personality they had. With a Y2K edge and the occasional Gen Z slang word, this production of Romeo and Juliet created a dynamic relationship with the audience.
Rachel Zegler as Juliet was magnetic and confident, communicating a sense of independent womanhood despite the era the play was written in. (Was Shakespeare a woman? We’ll never know). Kit Connor as Romeo brought tangible pining and undeniable chemistry with everyone he interacted with.
At one point after the show, I heard someone ask “Does Kit always get that close to people?” It could’ve been taken two ways: Kit often sat or passed the audience, within arms length, but he also loved to get nose-to-nose with his castmates as he spoke.
The beautiful part about this play is that it didn’t pretend to be anything other than a play. It maintained the heart of Shakespeare, actors playing multiple roles, and the set and costumes remaining basic in their entirety.
Even in Shakespearean English, the crude jokes and snarky retorts hit. The play’s catchphrase has been “The youth are f**ked,” complimenting a disillusioned and yet humorous generational perspective. (How can you take Romeo un-aliving himself with a borg1 seriously?)
I was reminded of just how much of an art Shakespeare is, no matter what time period or twist is added to the production. (As a humblebrag, at this point I’ve seen live on stage Romeo and Juliet, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Macbeth, All’s Well That Ends Well, and Taming of the Shrew, though I would love to add more). Sometimes I noticed the other “players” on the stage, but at times I was so fixated on the performances in front of me, everything else faded into the background until an actor had to step over another to progress the scene.
Usually I’m not a fan of musical numbers in non-musicals, but with Jack Antonoff’s skillfully crafted tunes, and the appropriate placement of said tunes, the singing felt natural. I bought that Rachel was a lovestruck teen singing in her bedroom when she thought no one else was there.
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This was the best Shakespeare adaptation I’ve ever seen. The show conveyed a youthful fickleness – naiveté and tragedy moving from past to present as the next generation tries to take fate into their own hands, unsuccessfully. The messaging was all around, unavoidable, punching me in the stomach both as art and as a warning.
Like the trends, the magic of this production is fleeting, as I predict this particularly talented cast will move on to their next projects. It was truly a spectacular and enthralling theater experience. I forgot where I was and what I was doing, like I was at the same hip party as Benvolio and Mercutio, not in the middle of New York in the Year of Our Lord 2024.
*A previous version of this newsletter misspelled Rachel Zegler’s name. Rachel, I am sorry.
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Read the full Gen Z Dictionary here.
Borg: “Blackout rage gallon,” i.e. a milk jug filled with a gallon of mixed drink like vodka and Kool-Aid