Jack Antonoff is writing music for a new reimagined Romeo and Juliet play that will arrive on Broadway this autumn.
- READ MORE: Bleachers: “This album is about wanting to hold joy, and not understanding why you can’t”
Rachel Zelger (West Side Story) and Kit Connor (Heartstopper) will star in the new musical version of Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet, which is directed by Sam Gold.
Music for the play has been written by Antonoff while Sonya Tayeh is writing the movement. Tickets for the show go on sale in May here.
According to the musical’s synopsis, “The youth are fucked”. It continues: “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.”
In a statement, director Gold said: “With the presidential election coming up in November, I felt like making a show this fall that celebrates youth and hope, and unleashes the anger young people feel about the world they are inheriting.”
Following the announcement of the cast, which also includes Tom Holland, Amewudah-Rivers was subject to a “barrage” of online abuse.
In response, The Jamie Lloyd Company made a statement condemning the “barrage of deplorable racial abuse online directed towards a member of our company.”
They continued: “This must stop. We are working with a remarkable group of artists. We insist that they are free to create work without facing online harassment.”
“Any abuse will not be tolerated and will be reported. Bullying and harassment have no place online, in our industry or in our wider communities,” the theatre company wrote.
“We celebrate the extraordinary talent of our incredible collaborators. The Romeo & Juliet community will continue to rehearse with generosity and love, and focus on the creation of our production.”
According to Deadline, tickets for the twelve-week run completely sold out in under two hours, and the production will reportedly be transferring to Broadway after its London run finishes.
In other news, recently, Antonoff’s band Bleachers released their cover of ‘Almost Like Being in Love’, the final track from the all-star soundtrack to the new TV series The New Look.
The 10-song soundtrack album has been curated and produced by Antonoff and is a compilation of covers of early to mid-20th-century songs by contemporary artists.
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