Theater: “Romeo + Juliet” starring Kit Connor

Last night, when Kit Connor, who plays the title role in “Romeo + Juliet”, does a pull up to kiss fair Juliet (Rachel Zegler) on her balcony, the audience swooned. Similarly, when Zegler closes Act 1 with a Jack Antonoff ballad, a fan yelled out, “Rachel!!!”

When Gen Z actors are engaged to perform a classic from the late 16th century, you may, like I, not know what to expect. Prepare to have your expectations exceeded handily.

Why? Let us first ask ourselves, as Juliet did, what’s in a name. Getting these two bold-faced names to perform one of Shakespeare’s most popular plays was a cheeky and ultimately brilliant idea.

Connor, who plays Nick Nelson in the gay dramedy series “Heartstopper” (Netflix) brings an earnest, romantic and frankly studly air to the role of Romeo. Zegler who played Maria in the Spielberg film of “West Side Story” proves she is equally well suited to play Juliet, her literary forebear. While she does at times fall into a Valley-Girlish singsong, the audience didn’t mind it a bit.

Most important is the fact that both actors look like and play their characters as lovesick teenagers, which is exactly how they were conceived in the first place.

Another casting coup is having a woman, Tommy Dorfman, play the fiery Tybalt and another woman, Gabby Beans, play Mercutio. Both are excellent in these roles as well as others: Dorfman doubles as the Nurse and Beans as the Friar. As yet a further example of gender-bending casting, big burly Sola Fadiran plays both Lord and Lady Capulet.

Props to choreographer Sonya Tayeh for dancing that is joyously acrobatic. Shout-out to Drew Leary as the “violence” director: calling it pugnacious would be an understatement. Stagecraft is Broadway-ingenious: a moving platform switches from bed to funeral bier seamlessly.

Overseeing this Shakespearean rock concert-rave director Sam Gold who has won kudos for shows like “Fun Home” “A Doll’s House Part 2” and by all rights should win a few more for

this show.

Don’t get thee to a nunnery for tickets to “R+J.” (That’s the wrong Shakespeare anyway.) Call or visit Circle in the Square. And do watch out for those signature cocktails in the lobby. As its name suggests, the “Poison” is particularly lethal.

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