Rachel Zegler Says Goodbye to Broadway as Romeo + Juliet with Kit Connor Ends Run: ‘Parting Is Such Sweet Sorrow’

Rachel Zegler and Kit Connor took their final Broadway bow together on Sunday, Feb. 16, as the acclaimed revival of Romeo + Juliet ended its 20-week limited engagement at the Circle in the Square Theatre in New York City.

Director Sam Gold’s production — which began on Sept. 26, 2024 ahead of an official opening on Oct. 24 — played a total of 28 previews and 125 regular performances.

It was frequently standing-room-only and, according to a release, broke multiple records during its short run, including becoming the highest-grossing limited engagement in Circle in the Square Theatre history. The play’s Gen-Z stars also attracted the youngest ticket buying audience in recorded Broadway history with 14% of purchasers aged 18 to 24, compared to the current industry average of 3%.

Most notably, Romeo + Juliet recouped its entire $7 million capitalization during its run — a rare industry feat.

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On Instagram, Zegler celebrated the play’s end by sharing a number of backstage photos throughout its run and during the rehearsal process.

She quoted Shakespeare’s “Parting is such sweet sorrow” line from Romeo + Juliet in the caption to one post, and wrote, “I loved performing here!” for another.

Romeo + Juliet marked Zegler and Connor’s Broadway debuts.

Both have found fame on screen, she in her Golden Globe–winning work as Maria in Steven Spielberg’s 2021 remake of West Side Story, as well as The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes. Connor is known for his role as Nick Nelson in the Netflix adaptation of Alice Oseman’s Heartstopper, and for playing young Elton John in 2019’s Rocketman.

Each have big projects coming later this year. Zegler will lead Disney’s live-action Snow White, in theaters March 21. Connor, meanwhile, will star alongside Joseph Quinn, Noah Centineo, Will Poulter, Charles Melton and more in Warfare, out April 11, about a U.S. army battle in Iraq told in a real-time recreation.

In addition to Connor and Zegler, Romeo + Juliet starred Tony Award nominee Gabby Beans as ‘Mercutio/The Friar/Prince,’ Daniel Bravo Hernández as ‘Abraham,’ Jasai Chase-Owens as ‘Gregory,’ 13 Reasons Why‘s Tommy Dorfman as ‘Tybalt/The Nurse,’ Nihar Duvvuri as ‘Balthazar,’ Sola Fadiran as ‘Capulet/Lady Capulet,’ Taheen Modak as ‘Benvolio,’ and Gían Pérez as ‘Samson/Paris/Peter.’

Understudies Missy Malek, Timothy Oh, Susannah Perkins and Daniel Velez rounded out the cast.

Movement came from Sonya Tayeh, while Grammy Award winner Jack Antonoff composed original music for the show, including songs performed by Zegler.

Shakespeare’s play, first published in 1597, follows the tragic romance of two Italian teens from feuding families. The beloved tale has been told on Broadway in nearly 40 previous productions, including its most recent revival in 2013 that starred Orlando Bloom and Condola Rashad.

Gold’s production and its cast and creative team will be eligible for the 2025 Tony Awards, nominations for which will be announced on May 1.