Rachel Zegler & Kit Connor-led ROMEO + JULIET Previews- Page 5

[everythingtaboo]

Posted: 10/2/24 at 2:27pm

Play Esq. said: "Hopefully, I'll like it more than already reported. I'm largely seeing it for Kit Connor, as I think he has potential to be an excellent actor, one around for quite some time.

Does he, though? I don't mean to be cynical, but he seems like this year's model, namely from "Heartbreaker."I haven't seen anythingto support a groundbreaking future career, but maybe I'm missing something. Wouldhappy to be proven wrong."

Prior to Heartstopper, he has a working actor, just not in things you're aware of. That said, I'd argue that since his resume includes a good number of voiceover work, starting from he was a kid up to and including The Wild Robot, currently in theatres, he's more than just "this year's model." He may be having a moment, but he's certainly built up to it.

[DramaTeach]

Posted: 10/2/24 at 2:33pm

dramamama611 said: "LOL, Zegler said on the Tonight Show (I think) that it was pitched to her as kids break into Circle in the Square and this unfolds."

It was also pitched as a Shakespearean Troye Sivan video: https://youtu.be/b53QJYP-lqY?si=QAbgUOiS1f8lKyep

[MezzA101]

Posted: 10/2/24 at 4:25pm

Variety cover story

Rachel Zegler on Snow White Backlash, Romeo and Juliet and Gaza Support

https://variety.com/2024/film/news/rachel-zegler-snow-white-backlash-romeo-and-juliet-gaza-1236160365/

[quizking101]

Posted: 10/3/24 at 12:26am

dramamama611 said: "LOL, Zegler said on the Tonight Show (I think) that it was pitched to her as kids break into Circle in the Square and this unfolds."

…Sweet, tap-dancing Christ.

Romeo, oh Romeo. What the F***ETH was this, Romeo?

R&J is a HARD skip. It was indeed a Gen Z drama club nightmare with no coherent concept, obnoxious lighting, costumes straight out of a Fire Island circuit party (Romeo in a sheer mesh tank and glittering pants?), and the addition of unnecessary alt-rock songs that made the long night longer. Gabby Beans was a highlight but even she was made to do some majorly cringe things.

It was also advertised as 2 hours with no intermission on their website and it was actually 2:45 with an intermission.

Never have I been so happy to see two people die so a play would end.

[dearalanaaaa]

Posted: 10/3/24 at 1:26am

I'm actually the target audience for once here, so I'll give a comprehensive review! This was my show tonight as well, I rushed it and got front-row seats and it was pretty good and solid. I wrote some notes on my thoughts during intermission, so I'll summarize those since the second act was unbelievably short. I think the audience could've used a break a bit earlier, but I understand that the structure of the acts is not the standard 2 act in the first place.

If you like Bare: A Pop Opera, you will adore the music. I will say though, the show feels like it takes place in the "Rave" scene for a majority of the time, if anybody is familiar with that show.The whole pre-show experience was reminiscent of Cabaret's but on a more "club" style scale, and the costumes are very much BRAT-coded (charli xcx's new album, a hit of the summer. This album utilized green and black often, though silver was a part of the outfits, for those out of the loop). 

I said this about Sunset last night but what is it with leads having no chemistry this season? Jeremy and Eva really drive it home over at Gatsby, whereas I felt as if Zegler's Juliet didn't have the best chemistry, which I hope can be fixed as they go through previews.

The ensemble is absolutely killing it from a choreography standpoint, and Act One makes great use of the vertical space within the theater! Anybody on an aisle got cast interaction, and if you were front row you could easily get the flowers from the stage, 2 people got a party invite, and I was given a slap bracelet at the beginning. The scenic design felt impressive, and it's by "dots" who also did Appropriate, so I think I just personally like their style

Tommy Dorfman (Nurse & Tybalt) stood out to me as a great actor in the ensemble. They killed it in all of their scenes, and I really thought their chemistry with the Capulet family was great. Sola Fadiran as both the Capulet parents was... a choice but I think it worked. It felt very confusing at times with how much they were double-cast as well. Gabby Beans has already been mentioned enough, so I'll say she did well too but wasn't a stand-out for me because her role was big anyway.

Gian Perez's singing and getting the crowd hyped was great, but it felt SO out of place at a specific point in Act Two. The inclusion of 4 sung songs and the amount of backing tracks made me wonder- do we know if this is being pitched as a musical or as a play? I feel like Stereophonic and this have a similar amount of music, but the lines on that one felt blurry for me too.

This show is definitely for a younger audience (I had a high school freshman sitting next to me, and a group of middle schoolers with their mothers entered in front of me), but I was able to enjoy all the references as well because I'm the direct target age (College, early 20's). I think an adult attending this would prefer to spend the night at Sunset Boulevard or Suffs over this, and the main draw I heard people talking about was Kit Connor. I'm not sure why- he's a solid actor but I didn't think he was particularly mindblowing in this or Heartstopper.

Now, onto my spoiler section...

 

Click Here To Toggle Spoiler Content

The use of the floating bed made it impossible to see. Same with the floor of the stage during the garden scene- you can't see the ground. Front row feels a partial view at times like that.

I loved how much the Ensemble sat with us, and Kit Connor's balcony scene utilized the space very well! Some of the directoral choices definitely left me the question of just... Why? The mix of vaping and smoking on the stage felt kind of bizarre, and it gave me a headache. And being in the front row during the fight scenes definitely feels hazardous even if they, of course, have fight calls before the show. It's so close to the audience I jumped back in my seat, I'd rather have them on the stage to fake brawl in case one of them accidentally rolls into my legs. But that's just me.

Overall, if you're Gen Z-coded and already like Bare (which is better than this show still, IMO), brat, immersive and dance-heavy shows, or just really love seeing Kit Connor, get your ticket before this becomes actually hard to see. If you're an adult over the age of 30 who has no clue what anything in the last sentence meant, your money is better spent on Sunset Boulevard or Stereophonic and you'll get more out of the experience.

P.S: I did stagedoor and enjoyed it, it felt more organized than Sunset's (which I literally walked away from, because I thought it was just never worth it for that level of chaos again), but the massive stagedoor crowd is massive and I once again don't recommend it unless you're a fan of one of the actors because it is very chaotic closer to the theater, further was super organized which was great! 

Updated On: 10/3/24 at 01:26 AM

[DCDrama2]

Posted: 10/3/24 at 1:35am

Updated On: 10/3/24 at 01:35 AM

[VintageSnarker]

Posted: 10/3/24 at 1:42am

"If anything I suppose I could say I was never bored because there was always something to be confused about."

"Never have I been so happy to see two people die so a play would end."

Put those pull quotes on the posters

[JasonC3]

Posted: 10/3/24 at 1:50am

R+J+WTF

[quizking101]

Posted: 10/3/24 at 9:13am

DCDrama2 said: ""

I’M DEAD. 😂 

[DCDrama2]

Posted: 10/3/24 at 9:46am

quizking101 said: "I’M DEAD. 😂"

oh my, this play kills so many people for a “romance.”

RIP quizking101. 🫡

[quizking101]

Posted: 10/3/24 at 11:14am

At least use the FULL quote

[DCDrama2]

Posted: 10/3/24 at 2:54pm

quizking101 said: "At least use the FULL quote"

Alrighty then. Full quotes, and not full quotes.





 

[gibsons2]

Posted: 10/3/24 at 3:00pm

DCDrama2 said: "quizking101 said: "At least use the FULL quote"

Alrighty then. Full quotes, and not full quotes.





"

Wow, that second poster reminded me of Lempicka post opening misleading pull quotes :)) Nicely done!

[chrishuyen]

Posted: 10/3/24 at 4:30pm

DCDrama2 said: "quizking101 said: "At least use the FULL quote"

Alrighty then. Full quotes, and not full quotes.




"

Wow! I always wanted to be misattributed in a pull quote!  😂

[EDSOSLO858]

Posted: 10/3/24 at 5:06pm

You win, DCDrama2. 

[quizking101]

Posted: 10/3/24 at 6:05pm

The amount of joy this has brought me is hilarious

[Wayman_Wong]

Posted: 10/4/24 at 9:44am

'The Tonight Show': "Romeo + Juliet's'' Kit Connor and Rachel Zegler gush about their love affair with Broadway

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lvRXojMIyc8

[Elphaba2019]

Posted: 10/6/24 at 3:06am

everythingtaboo said: "Play Esq. said: "Hopefully, I'll like it more than already reported. I'm largely seeing it for Kit Connor, as I think he has potential to be an excellent actor, one around for quite some time.

Does he, though? I don't mean to be cynical, but he seems like this year's model, namely from "Heartbreaker."I haven't seen anythingto support a groundbreaking future career, but maybe I'm missing something. Wouldhappy to be proven wrong."

Prior to Heartstopper, he has a working actor, just not in things you're aware of. That said, I'd argue that since his resume includes a good number of voiceover work, starting from he was a kid up to and including The Wild Robot, currently in theatres, he's more than just "this year's model." He may be having a moment, but he's certainly built up to it."

He was the only good thing about this production. I thought he was absolutely incredible the acting, emotion, and seriousness he brought to the role was in stark contrast the spectacle going on around him. This show was incredibly tacky and “campy”. Between, the over-use of teddy bears and other beyond stupid costume and set design choices to the horrible acting and sheer lack of understanding of the piece and character from many on the stage made this show  unbearable to watch when Kit Connor was not on stage. I thought Rachel Zegler was also ok but she lacked emotion and connection to the role. The doubling of the characters made the show impossible to understand or follow. I only wish Kit Connor was doing a better production of Romeo & Juliet because this embarrassment is not worthy of his phenomenal acting and portrayal of the role. He probably would have even won the Tony under a different director and production this joke of a show will not even get nominated. William Shakespeare would hate it. They also cut Romeo’s parents which was another beyond stupid directorial choice from Sam Gold. It was such a disaster of a production besides Connor he was fantastic, Zegler was fine everyone else sucked embarrassingly so. 

[MezzA101]

Posted: 10/9/24 at 10:39am

How Broadway’s new rendition of Romeo and Juliet revived my junior paper

 

https://www.dailyprincetonian.com/article/2024/10/princeton-prospect-broadway-romeo-juliet-junior-paper

[rachelfran]

Posted: 10/9/24 at 12:20pm

I won a lottery ticket for this yesterday.  The lottery said standing room only but I was assigned a seat in the second row when the ticket was emailed to me.  I am not the audience for this which was apparent even in the outer space which was blaring pop music.  There was a delay in getting into the theatre with people lined up deep waiting to get until about 7:50pm for the 8pm start.  It wasn't over until 10:50pm.  

The show is all over the place with too much of everything. Young girls were losing their minds over Kit. I didn't like the costumes, the dancing, the staging.  Some of it was funny .. intentionally so and some not so intentional.  

One actor shouted a political statement unrelated to the show as he exited the stage which was inappropriate and unprofessional. He happened to be running past me when he did it so I'm sure not a lot of people heard it.

[quizking101]

Posted: 10/11/24 at 7:36am

Crazy to think that the website is still saying the show is 2:10 with a 10 minute intermission (a change from the original 2:00 with no intermission they originally had posted), and yet the last poster, even given the circumstances, was probably still in for a 2:40 show.

[Tom-497]

Posted: 10/11/24 at 10:25am

I think last night's performance was closer to 2:30, and further, beneficial cuts would be easy to make. So much of the supporting cast is so weak that removal of nearly any of their attempts at poetry or pathos would be an improvement (the comic relief is better-handled). And the fight scenes - cut-rate Rumble Fish with more-blatant sexuality - could easily be trimmed.

However, I think the doubling and tripling of roles will still drag down much of the show. When a character leaves the stage, you can seldom hope for anything fresh - the same mediocre-to-bad actor just keeps yapping away as somebody else.  

On the positive side - I loved the funny, touching, dynamic balcony scene. By itself, it makes this production worth seeing.

[MezzA101]

Posted: 10/22/24 at 12:05pm

How Kit Connor, Rachel Zegler Created Romeo & Juliet for Gen Z With Pull-Ups and a Kiss | Teen Vogue

 

https://www.teenvogue.com/story/kit-connor-rachel-zegler-moment-cover-october-2024

[bismarcky]

Posted: 10/22/24 at 1:49pm

Kit Connor & Rachel Zegler Ask Rapid-Fire Questions | Off the Cuff | Vogue

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w-qsN_KTeng

Side note: Very curious what the opening night reviews will be!

[pupscotch]

Posted: 10/22/24 at 7:50pm

Has anyone tried rush for this one yet? What do the lines look like?