Rachel Zegler is undoubtedly a star on the rise and this year her career is only getting brighter. She first gained prominence for her debut role as Maria in Steven Spielberg’s West Side Story (2021). Since then, she’s gone on to star in films like Shazam! Fury of the Gods (2023) and The Hunger Games prequel The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes (2023). This week, the 22-year-old actress of Colombian descent announced that she will be switching to the stage, confirming that she will appear in the starring role in the Broadway production of “Romeo + Juliet” later this year. She’ll co-star alongside Kit Connor as Romeo and the production will be a modern adaptation of the iconic Shakespeare play geared toward young audiences. The show will be directed by Sam Gold with music by award-winning producer Jack Antonoff, according to Variety.
“personally feeling very chill,” Zegler said in an Instagram post announcing the news.
“Romeo and Juliet” has been performed on Broadway for multiple decades, with the original play spawning additional adaptations in film like Romeo and Juliet (1968), Romeo + Juliet (1996), and, of course, West Side Story. Although Zegler performed in theater productions throughout her high school years, this will be her first time appearing on the Broadway stage. The show itself will be a modern, apocalyptic take on the classic story. The full logline reads, “The youth are fucked. Left to their own devices in their parents’ world of violent ends, an impulsive pair of star-crossed lovers hurtle towards their inescapable fate. The intoxicating high of passion quickly descends into a brutal chaos that can only end one way.”
Audiences can expect Zegler to next appear in Disney’s live-action Snow White, which has been delayed to an unconfirmed date. It seems she’s made a career of being a part of successful remakes and franchises and now she’s venturing into theater with one of the most famous and beloved plays of all time.
As a young star on the rise, she’s also opened up about being a white Latina in Hollywood and the privileges she has.
“I’m a white Latina in an industry that is not necessarily kind to Latinas but definitely more kind to white Latinas than anything,” she previously told Variety. “And so it becomes my job to make sure that those doors are open to other Latinos who… don’t fit the box.”
No other casting decisions, performance dates, or venue have been announced yet. However, tickets are confirmed to go on sale for the public in May at RomeoandJulietNYC.com.
