Kit Connor and Rachel Zegler Celebrate First Performance of Broadway's “Romeo + Juliet” at Stage Door Bash (Exclusive)

The two stars are making their Broadway debuts in the new production of William Shakespeare's classic play — and PEOPLE has the exclusive first look at the excitement

The streets of Broadway erupted in celebration as Gen-Z icons Kit Connor and Rachel Zegler took their first bows in the starry revival of Romeo + Juliet.

Director Sam Gold offers a bold new take on William Shakespeare's classic in the production, which kicked off its preview performances on Thursday, Sept. 26, at the Circle in the Square Theatre ahead of an opening on Thursday, Oct. 24.

Not only is the play led by two of Hollywood's biggest rising stars, but Gold also enlisted the help of Grammy winner (and longtime Taylor Swift collaborator) Jack Antonoff to introduce original music to the piece.

Related: Rachel Zegler and Kit Connor Kick Off Rehearsals for Broadway's Romeo + Juliet — See the Pics from Their First Day

With so much fresh energy around the Bard's beloved romantic tragedy, it's no wonder the show's producer Seaview tried something different with another tried-and-true Broadway tradition: the stage door autographs.

Rather than offer the usual line, Romeo + Juliet threw a party outside the theater, with DJ Amber Valentine literally putting a new spin on the experience and turning their corner of West 50th Street into a big bash.

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Nearly 1,000 eager fans from the sold out, standing room only audience stuck around for the sudden soirée, greeting the cast’s arrival with absolute pandemonium.

PEOPLE has exclusive photos from the event, snapped by photographer to the stars Emilio Madrid.

According to source at the show, the cheers for the cast "nearly drowned out Elphaba’s legendary 'Defying Gravity' war cry next door" at Wicked.

"One fan even passed out from the sheer excitement of seeing Kit Connor in person," the insider said.

Related: George Clooney, Denzel Washington, Robert Downey Jr. and All the Stars Heading to Broadway

Zegler got the sold out crowd doing full-out "Hot To Go" choreography, followed by half the crowd chanting "Capulet" and other half chanting "Montague" — a call back to the tragic star-crossed lovers at the center of the play.

Festivities continued at an exclusive underground party in the subway station at eatery See No Evil Pizza and cocktail bar Nothing Really Matters. There, Gold toasted the cast on the success of the evening.

Romeo + Juliet's cast is largely made up of newcomers making their Broadway debuts, including Connor, 20, and Zegler, 23.

The play's full company includes Gabby Beans (as Mercutio/The Friar), Tommy Dorfman (as The Nurse/Tybalt), Nihar Duvvuri (as Balthazar), Sola Fadiran (as Capulet/Lady Capulet), Daniel Bravo Hernández (as Abraham), Taheen Modak (as Benvolio), Jasai Chase-Owens (as Gregory) and Gían Pérez (as Samson/Paris/Peter).

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

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Romeo + Juliet, which also features movement from Tony winner Sonya Tayeh, is currently scheduled for a strictly limited engagement through Sunday, Feb. 16, 2025.

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

It was also the inspiration for West Side Story, Leonard Bernstein and Stephen Sondheim's award-winning musical that was most recently adapted into a 2021 Steven Spielberg film — coincidentally starring Zegler.

"I’m so thrilled to get to go back to my roots and the thing that I love so much," the actress told Vogue  last month, adding, "I can’t believe this is my life."

Tickets for Romeo + Juliet are now on sale.

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