She did it! Rachel Zegler finally made her Broadway debut! If you’ve been following the 23-year-old actress since she made her film debut leading the cast of Steven Spielberg’s West Side Story, you probably know that her heart is on the stage, and she’s been dreaming about getting to The Great White Way. Well, now she has, and she got candid about achieving a dream she’s had since she was 4 years old.
This week, previews began for Sam Gold’s adaptation of Romeo + Juliet at the Circle in the Square Theatre on Broadway. Notably, the two actors playing the titular couple are beloved talents from the screen, Zegler and Heartstopper’s Kit Connor, and this project marks both their Broadway debuts. Taking to Instagram to honor this massive moment in her career, the Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes actress posted a sweet carousel of images along with a lengthy caption of how much this production means to her. She wrote, in part:
i have dreamed about being on broadway ever since i saw beauty and the beast at the lunt-fontanne when i was 4 years old. ashley brown was playing belle and i fell in love with the idea of a) being a disney princess (✅) and b) performing live for people every night (✅). for years and years, as a teenager, i tried to get the chance to be on these stages. life had other plans for which i remain insanely grateful. my love for making movies will never go away, but my home will always be the stage.
I love that she’s gotten to put check marks by both of her big dreams! Along with playing Snow White in Disney’s live-action remake (which will premiere on the 2025 movie schedule), she’s also finally found her way to Broadway.
She couldn’t have found a more fitting production either. As I mentioned, Zegler is playing Juliet to Kit Connor’s Romeo in the latest adaptation of William Shakespeare’s romance. She also made her film debut in another modern adaptation of Shakespeare’s work by playing Maria in 2021’s West Side Story. In that film -- which you can stream with a Disney+ subscription now -- the world was introduced to the actress’s immense talents as a performer and singer, and ever since I saw her in that film, I’ve been waiting to see her on Broadway.
The actress, while clearly a star on screen, feels like she was made for the stage. As she wrote herself, doing this play is a dream come true, because performing live has always been her big goal.
If you are looking to see Rachel Zegler thrive on stage, you can see Romeo + Juliet at the Circle in the Square Theatre in New York City through February 16, 2025. And I’m sure that after that she’ll continue to star in plays and musicals on stage.
However, don’t get it twisted, she’s not done with the screen by any means, as Zegler wrote “movies will never go away.” Along with the release of Snow White next year, her movies Spellbound and Y2K are also set to come out on the 2024 movie schedule on November 22 and December 6, respectively.
So, while this lovely actress is living her lifelong dream, you can continue to see her work by catching these movies and her play. Meanwhile, we’ll be sure to keep you posted on what’s coming next for her.
