Video: Jack Antonoff Talks New Music and Songs for ROMEO + JULIET

Composer and musical guru Jack Antonoff stopped by The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon on Tuesday to discuss the new Broadway production of Romeo + Juliet, which just began previews at the Circle in the Square Theatre. 

The songwriter and record producer—known for working with artists such as Taylor Swift and Sabrina Carpenter—wrote new music for this modern take on the Shakespeare tragedy, a challenge that he said was "just so cool."

"The whole play is scored," Antonoff told Fallon. "And then there's between 3 to 5 original songs. The play is the exact Shakespeare text, except it doesn't look like it. All the score is mostly coming off of Moges and Juno Sixes so it's pretty buzzy and low-indie, which is very modern sounding. And then we kind of leave the play for moments and the actors sing songs," he explained. "We're in previews so we're still messing with it." Watch the full interview!

In the production, Kit Connor as ‘Romeo’ and Rachel Zegler as ‘Juliet’ are joined by Tony Award nominee Gabby Beans (Skin of Our Teeth) as ‘Mercutio/The Friar/Prince,’ Daniel Bravo Hernández (Broadway Debut) as ‘Abraham,’ Jasai Chase-Owens (Broadway Debut; “The Expanse”) as ‘Gregory,’ Tommy Dorfman (Broadway Debut; “13 Reasons Why”) as ‘Tybalt/The Nurse,’ Nihar Duvvuri (Broadway Debut) as ‘Balthazar,’ Sola Fadiran (Camelot) as ‘Capulet/Lady Capulet,’ Taheen Modak (Broadway Debut) as ‘Benvolio,’ Gían Pérez (Sing Street) as ‘Samson/Paris/Peter’ and understudies Missy Malek (Broadway Debut), Timothy Oh (Broadway Debut), Susannah Perkins (The Wolves) and Daniel Velez (Broadway Debut).

Directed by Tony Award winner Sam Gold (An Enemy of the People), ROMEO + JULIET features music by Grammy Award winner Jack Antonoff and movement direction and choreography by Tony Award winner Sonya Tayeh (Moulin Rouge).

ROMEO + JULIET features scenic design by Tony Award nominee dots, costume design by Tony Award nominee Enver Chakartash, lighting design by Tony Award nominee Isabella Byrd, sound design by Tony Award winner Cody Spencer, hair, wig and makeup design by Robert Pickens and Katie Gell and violence by Drew Leary. Claire Warden will serve as intimacy director, Gigi Buffington will serve as voice and text coach, and Michael Sexton and Ayanna Thompson will serve as dramaturgy and text consultants. Production stage management is by Rachel Bauder, Juniper Street Productions is the Production Manager, and101 Productions, Ltd will serve as general manager. Casting is by Taylor Williams, CSA.

Left to their own devices in their parents’ world of violent ends, an impulsive pair of star-crossed lovers hurtle towards their inescapable fate. The intoxicating high of passion quickly descends into a brutal chaos that can only end one way.

Photo credit: Todd Owyoung/NBC