As the audience takes their seats surrounding the intimate in-the-round stage at Broadway’s Circle in the Square Theatre, most of the cast are already present but not yet in character. They casually converse with each other, do some warm-up stretches, play around with a shopping cart full of teddy bears, even throw out some Haribo gummy bears to the crowd, and move to the propulsive dance music by Jack Antonoff that is being played with flair DJ-style by Sarah Goldstone on a synth keyboard from on high within the space. All of which helps to build a pulsating, buzzy atmosphere that draws us in before the action has even begun.
Shakespeare acknowledges his audience directly through the Chorus’ (Gabby Beans) epilogue as he establishes “fair Verona” as the setting for the upcoming “two hours’ traffic of our stage”, immediately breaking the fourth wall to emphasize the fact that these are actors doing their best as they “toil” for our benefit to transport us and put on a show. Director Sam Gold takes things further, with Beans as herself on the mic introducing each cast member by name and announcing their respective roles. The company whoops and cheers them on as they take an energetic, celebratory circuit around the stage. The whoops were extra loud and encouraging for Daniel Velez, who was an excellent understudy as Samson, Paris (a chain-vaping narcissist, in a “Gift of God” t-shirt), and Peter at the performance I was at. The compelling visual is of a close-knit company of players huddling like a sports team ahead of a big game, bursting with enthusiasm to tell this story as a collective.
Given the appeal of the young and starry cast, for many audience members this might well be their first encounter with the Bard’s work on stage, it might even be their first Broadway theatre experience. It was certainly one of the most youthful Broadway audiences that I’ve ever been part of. Delivering on the responsibility of that potential first encounter is not lost on Gold, and this dynamic, high-energy opening thrills as it invites the audience in and, as Shakespeare intended, fires us up to be engaged and complicit in the storytelling that’s about to take place.
Announcing each cast member and their roles also helps to make things as clear as possible for anyone unfamiliar with these characters, as does the handy Playbill insert that details who’s who in the Houses of Montague and Capulet. It is a clarity that infuses much of this production, from the delivery of each line of the Elizabethan iambic pentameter to its bold staging, with impressive scenic design by dots.
There is much fun to be had with the boisterous, high-spirited humour in the first part of the play, but before long violence breaks out as the toxic masculinity that has sustained the city’s “ancient grudge” between the two Houses leads to a petty street brawl. The skirmish is effectively stylized like a dance sequence with expressive movement direction and choreography by Sonya Tayeh, while Isabella Byrd’s moody lighting design evokes a nightclub dancefloor. It is as engaging as it is scrappily unpredictable, including moments like a brief kiss between two men; just one instance that infuses the production with a fluid vibe when it comes to sexuality. The fight leads to a unsettling aftermath where an injured, blood-soaked body looks confrontingly graphic and realistic, especially given the audience’s proximity to the stage. The switch from stylized to naturalistic is suitably jarring as the lights go up, the stage falls silent and we take in the disturbing result of entirely avoidable violence. Before the lovers even meet, the stakes against them succeeding are high as the animosity between their opposing Houses intensifies.
Crucially, we believe in the love-at-first-sight moment at the Capulet’s ball, with Kit Connor’s (Heartstopper) face as Romeo utterly mesmerizing as he takes in Rachel Zegler’s (Spielberg’s West Side Story) captivating Juliet as she sings one of the production’s instantly appealing, modern-day-language original songs by Antonoff, “Whiplash”, an ode to living in the moment. It is an exhilarating scene that manages to convince us that Romeo has suddenly forgotten all about Rosaline, whom he was previously smitten with, and sets up the intense joy and tragedy ahead as we’re immediately invested in this couple.
When Connor’s Romeo and Zegler’s Juliet get close to one another for the first time, sparks fly as the connection between them quickly deepens from playful flirtation to passionate infatuation as theatre’s most famous “pair of star-crossed lovers” drink each other in. As Romeo’s heart fills to bursting, his intoxicated state of mind is rendered visually as the stage opens up to create a breathtakingly opulent bed of vibrant flowers for him to lay back on before Juliet’s bed is suspended above the stage leading to an inventively striking balcony scene. Emphasizing Connor’s muscular frame, Romeo clings to a rail on Juliet’s bed before doing a pull up until he is high enough for them to kiss. Beautifully romantic, it creates an indelible stage image that put me in mind of that upside-down kiss in the 2002 Spider-Man movie. The production’s staging is at its most impactful when it is this elegantly simple.
Juliet’s youth—she has not yet turned 14 years old—feels particularly pointed as Paris barters with her father (a commanding Sola Fadiran) for her hand and her mother (Fadiran) tries to recall exactly how old her daughter is with the help of her nurse (Tommy Dorfman), while teddy bears adorn both the theatre lobby and the stage. Although Juliet might not be worldly, Zegler invests the character with a palpable sense of agency that her domineering father would deny her. The coldness of Juliet’s parents towards her, and the brutality of her father, is nicely contrasted with the connection that she has with her nurse played with tenderness and warmth by Dorfman who tones down the character’s inherent comedy in favour of emphasizing the love and affection that she has for her young charge. While Dorfman brings a charismatic swagger to her take on Tybalt that makes for a painful loss.
When it comes to the text, the entire ensemble is on point, with the thought and intention behind every line made apparent without being overplayed, although the poetry is sometimes flattened. While the physicalization of the sexual puns gives us some additional guidance in deciphering the language with its 1590s wordplay. Gold and the actors skillfully bridge the centuries as they bring these words to life in 2024 New York, while Enver Chakartash’s costume design (with embellished tank tops, fashionable athleisure streetwear, and dazzling silver sequins), along with Antonoff’s music and songs, all help give the production an electrifying contemporary edge.
Connor’s delivery is particularly easy and natural, translating the beauty of his screen acting from Heartstopper to the stage without losing any of its subtlety. In fact, Connor’s performance reminded me of the first time I saw Sir Kenneth Branagh tread the boards at the RSC in Stratford-upon-Avon in the 90s in his connection to the language and the apparent effortlessness with which he makes Shakespeare’s words his own as he pulls the audience in close. Zegler matches that natural approach with a delicate and beguiling performance and the chemistry between the leads radiates, making their love scenes the highlight of this production that I yearned to see more of.
Generally, those taking on multiple roles (everyone apart from Connor and Zegler) make the differentiation between each character rather fine, with only slight vocal and physical adjustments. Although I would like to have seen some bolder acting choices and richer characterization to distinguish between them, the difference is clear enough to decipher, and there is an enjoyable exchange where Sola Fadiran converses with himself on stage as Capulet and Lady Capulet. While Gabby Beans as the acting company’s spokesperson/MC, Mercutio, the Friar, and Prince attacks each role with precision, bringing vigour and an infectious delight to her work.
I have seen some in-the-round productions where actors are frequently positioned with their backs to one side of the house for entire speeches, which can make observers feel shut out of the action, but that is never the case here and Gold keep things vital and engaging by staging segments throughout the auditorium. Actors often deliver lines on the move as they make their way on and off stage, as well as from the aisle stairwells and even from high above the audience in the lighting rig rafters. The result is an unpredictability that keeps us alert and invested. It also makes the rare moments of silence and stillness all the more potent.
As Romeo + Juliet moves from high-spirited fun to forbidden, blissful romance as it inevitably veers towards its lamentable conclusion—starkly and affectingly rendered here—what lingers most are the ancient themes that feel desperately relevant. Namely, the patriarchy’s control over women and their bodies, the futility of war and the horror of its collateral damage. This is an invigorating production that leaves us thinking as much as feeling.
By James Kleinmann
Romeo + Juliet officially opened on Thursday, October 24th, 2024 at Circle in the Square Theatre (1633 Broadway) and has been extended through Sunday, February 16th, 2025 . For more details and to purchase tickets head to RomeoAndJulietNYC.com.
