Jack Antonoff is making his Broadway debut.
The Bleachers artist is writing new music for an upcoming Broadway revival of Shakespeare's Romeo + Juliet, starring Hunger Games: Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes star Rachel Zegler and Heartstopper actor Kit Connor.
While Antonoff will be crafting brand-new music for the play, audiences should not expect to hear Zegler show off her acclaimed vocal chops. The Grammy-winner is writing new music for the production that will be used as underscoring throughout the show. The role is similar to what Imogen Heap composed for Broadway's Harry Potter & the Cursed Child.
Several musical artists have recently taken their talents to Broadway, with Sara Bareilles noting a score for the hit musical Waitress and Ingrid Michaelson writing songs for The Notebook musical. This summer, a musical adaptation of The Great Gatsby will premiere in Boston, featuring new music by Florence + the Machine.
The upcoming Romeo + Juliet production will be directed by Sam Gold, who recently helmed a production of Macbeth starring James Bond star Daniel Craig and the current revival of An Enemy of the People with Succession's Jeremy Strong.
"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," the director shared.
Antonoff's new Broadway endeavor is announced just before his work on Taylor Swift's upcoming album, The Tortured Poet's Department, is revealed. He has produced eight tracks on the upcoming album, set for an April 19 debut. Us Weekly reports that Antonoff's work includes the title track, "Down Bad," "Fresh Out the Slammer," "Guilty as Sin," "I Can Fix Him (No Really I Can)," "I Can Do It With a Broken Heart," "The Alchemy," and "Fortnight."
Recently winning Producer of the Year at the Grammys for his third consecutive year, he has also worked with megastars like Diana Ross, Lorde, Lana Del Rey, The 1975, St. Vincent, Florence + The Machine, Kevin Abstract and more.
Antonoff is the frontman for American rock band Bleachers, who recently played a set at Coachella. The group released their self-titled third studio album earlier this year, featuring songs like "Alma Mater," "Tiny Moves," and "Modern Girl." It followed their 2021 record, Take the Sadness Out of Saturday Night, which featured collaborations with Bruce Springsteen and Lana Del Rey.
Tickets for the play will be going on sale next month. It is slated to open on Broadway this fall, with official performance dates and more casting announcements coming soon.
The announcement comes as Tom Holland is preparing to launch his own production of the iconic Shakespeare play in London. Directed by Jamie Lloyd - who recently staged the acclaimed Sunset Boulevard starring Pussycat Dolls alum Nicole Scherzinger - the play will open in London later this year, with Deadline reporting that a Broadway transfer after it ends seems likely. Since it has not officially announced its plans for a New York run, it is too early to call if the separate versions of Romeo + Juliet will directly compete with each other on Broadway.
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