Romeo + Juliet

The revival of Romeo + Juliet that recently opened at Circle in the Square on Broadway is a completely reimagined version of the Shakespeare classic. The production goes far beyond most theatregoers expectations with a live DJ, life-sized Teddy Bears and a mattress floating above the stage that replaces the traditional Juliet’s balcony. It breaks all the rules while thrilling its audience of TikTokers and devoted fans of the show's lead actors, Kit Connor and Rachel Zegler. PRG is proud to have provided lighting and audio services for this unconventional adaptation directed by Tony Award winner Sam Gold (Fun Home) and featuring music by singer, songwriter and record producer Jack Antonoff.

Lighting design is by Tony Award nominee Isabella Byrd (An Enemy of the People and Cabaret at the Kit Kat Club). Asked about her approach to designing for such a young audience, Byrd said, "They create a different synergy with the cast and production. It's reciprocal and a reminder to the creative team to keep the show fun. It's invigorating to witness young audiences truly laugh at 16th-century jokes and vocabulary."

Byrd found inspiration for her color choices in the art direction of Gen Z pop music, particularly Troye Sivan’s pop identity, known for its color confidence, saying “It was enjoyable to lean into a saturated color dimension. The use of vivid colors leads to a more youthful and passionate atmosphere. I kept reminding myself, "feelings first, thoughts second”."

The show is performed in the round, removing the traditional barrier between the actors and the audience and allowing for a more direct and intimate experience. Describing the challenges inherent in lighting an immersive production, Byrd said, “The cast performs all around the theatre, even in the catwalks, so I used many moving fixtures to light the aisles without blinding the audience. The design includes three concentric rings of profile fixtures which rely heavily on wide zoom ranges so that one could cover as much of the stage as possible."

Byrd's design included Portman Hexaline and P3 series fixtures installed around the perimeter of the theatre. These were also used for a large cross positioned upstage. “The Portmans were a big ask, and I was so grateful to PRG for digging up every last fixture in stock. I really appreciate the quality of PRG’s service and how reliable their gear is. They’re also great at problem-solving while keeping an eye on the budget," Byrd said.

While lighting for theatre in the round is challenging, so is creating a compelling soundscape and for that, the production turned to Tony Award winning sound designer Cody Spencer (Here Lies Love and The Outsiders). "It’s not easy," said Spencer said. “The cast is running through the audience, performing all around the space. In addition to supporting Shakespearean dialogue, we have three musical moments. I spent a lot of time planning to make sure every actor could be heard from everywhere. It took some trial and error, but we made it happen."

“We needed a more robust sound system to accommodate Jack's music. So, I decided to emulate a sound system you would find at a dance club. There are many low-end speakers to get ample coverage and give every seat a club experience," Spencer said. "Jack was great to work with. He has a way of understanding the sonic characteristics of all instruments and voices and is able to intwine them in a way that makes for a very enjoyable sonic soundscape. There are lots of different musical themes that play throughout the show including underscoring and transition music.”

To ensure everyone in the audience could understand the actors and know where they were in the space, Spencer chose L-Acoustics speakers with a Digico console. Because he needed a very large crosspoint delay matrix to move the actors’ voices around the room, he used Meyer Sound’s D’Mitri, the only equipment that fit. As for microphones, “We wanted all the singing to feel as if it was taking place in the club, so handhelds were an obvious choice,” Spencer said. They also help the audience hear the actors above the club volume.

Alex Donnelly, PRG VP and GM, commented, “It was a joy to support this production, not just because we enjoy collaborating on design and technical challenges, but because this show seems to be going after (and capturing) a segment of the market that isn’t always treated seriously. Producer Greg Nobile and the entire team at Seaview and 101 Productions are really honing their craft at creating buzz around can’t-miss theatre, which is encouraging not just the traditional theatre-going crowd but making freshly minted theatre fans out of Gen Z and Gen Alpha as well. In service of that, it was particularly fun to work together with Isabella Byrd and Cody Spencer as they imagined what some of the non-performance moments would feel like, both in the playing space during pre-show and intermission, as well as in the lobby. I think both of them really delivered on the “cool” factor without diluting the artistic quality, which encourages all types of audiences to feel at home at the theatre.”

Romeo + Juliet is playing at Circle in the Square Theatre now through February 16, 2025.