Kit Connor and Rachel Zegler Celebrate First Performance of Broadway's Romeo + Juliet at Stage Door Bash (Exclusive)

The streets of Broadway erupted in celebration as Gen-Z icons Kit Connor and Rachel Zegler took their first bows in the star-studded revival Romeo + Juliet.

Director Sam Gold offers a bold new take on William Shakespeare’s classic in the production, which began preview performances on Thursday, September 26, at the Circle in the Square Theater before opening on Thursday, October 24.

Not only are the show headlined by two of Hollywood’s biggest rising stars, but Gold also enlisted the help of Grammy winner (and longtime Taylor Swift collaborator) Jack Antonoff to bring the original music to life.

Rachel Zegler and Kit Connor begin rehearsals for Broadway’s Romeo + Juliet — See pictures from their first day

The Broadway cast of ‘Romeo + Juliet’.

Emilio Madrid

With so much fresh energy around the Bard’s favorite romantic tragedy, it’s no wonder that the producers of Seaview tried something different with another tried and true Broadway tradition: stage door autographs.

Instead of offering the usual line, Romeo + Juliet they threw a party in front of the movie theater, and DJ Amber Valentine literally put a new spin on the experience and turned their corner of West 50th Street into a huge crowd.

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Stage door outside Broadway ‘Romeo + Juliet’.

Emilio Madrid

Nearly 1,000 eager fans from the sold-out, standing-room-only crowd stuck around for the impromptu dinner, greeting the cast’s arrival with absolute pandemonium.

PEOPLE has exclusive photos from the event captured by celebrity photographer Emilio Madrid.

According to a show source, cheering for the cast “almost overpowered Elphaba’s iconic ‘Defying Gravity’ war cry from the neighborhood.” Wicked.

“One fan even passed out from the sheer excitement of seeing Kit Connor in person,” the insider said.

Kit Connor after his first appearance in the Broadway play ‘Romeo + Juliet’.

Emilio Madrid

George Clooney, Denzel Washington, Robert Downey Jr. and all the stars go to Broadway

Zegler had the sold-out crowd choreograph “Hot To Go,” followed by half the audience chanting “Capulet” and the other half chanting “Montague” — a callback to the tragic lovers in love at the center of the play. .

The party continued at an exclusive underground party at the subway station at the restaurant See No Evil Pizza and the cocktail bar Nothing Really Matters. There, Gold toasted the cast on the evening’s success.

Rachel Zegler after the premiere performance of the Broadway play ‘Romeo + Juliet’.

Emilio Madrid

Romeo + JulietThe cast consists mostly of newcomers making their Broadway debuts, including Connor, 20, and Zegler, 23.

The full cast includes Gabby Beans (as Mercutio/Friar), Tommy Dorfman (as Nurse/Tybalt), Nihar Duvvuri (as Balthazar), Sola Fadiran (as Capulet/Lady Capulet), Daniel Bravo Hernández (as Abraham), Taheen Modak (as Benvolio), Jasai Chase-Owens (as Gregory) and Gían Pérez (as Samson/Paris/Peter).

The cast is rounded out by actors Missy Malek, Timothy Oh, Susannah Perkins and Daniel Velez.

Fans in front of the first performance of the Broadway play ‘Romeo + Juliet’.

Emilio Madrid

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Romeo + Julietwhich also features movement by Tony winner Sonya Tayeh, is currently scheduled for a strictly limited engagement through Sunday, February 16, 2025.

The work, first published in 1597, follows the tragic romance of two Italian teenagers from feuding families. It’s a story that has been told on Broadway in nearly 40 previous productions, including its most recent revival in 2013 starring Orlando Bloom and Condola Rashad.

Rachel Zegler signs autographs after the Broadway premiere of ‘Romeo + Juliet’.

Emilio Madrid

It was also the inspiration for A story from the west sidethe award-winning musical by Leonard Bernstein and Stephen Sondheim that was recently adapted into a 2021 film by Steven Spielberg — coincidentally starring Zegler.

“I’m so thrilled to be able to get back to my roots and the things I love so much,” the actress said Vogue last month, adding: “I can’t believe this is my life.”

Tickets for Romeo + Juliet they are on sale now.

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Source: HIS Education