Sam Gold discusses youth, Prospect Heights and ‘Romeo and Juliet’
The Tony Award-winning director contends with theater in a digital age through the classic romantic tragedy
Romeo and Juliet, starring Kit Connor and Rachel Zegler and directed by Sam Gold, opens for previews on Sept. 26. Photo by Sam Levy
By Mandie-Beth Chau, Peter Stamelman
September 23, 2024
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Sam Gold, a Brooklyn-based director, adapted “Romeo and Juliet” as a way of connecting to a younger audience through theater. Gold’s directorial work on “An Enemy of the People,” starring Jeremy Strong of “Succession” fame and Michael Imperioli from “The Sopranos” and “The White Lotus,” drew a younger crowd and was well-received online, which ignited an interest in Gen Z theater-goers for Gold.
“I’ve been on an eight-year exploration of Shakespeare’s great tragedies. They speak to the world right now, and they feel like the best way for me, as an artist, to explore what it means to be alive right now,” said Gold. “I felt that young people needed a meaty exploration of the of some of the large things that people are going through right now. Theater provides something a lot of other cultural mediums aren’t providing — this very deep, intense, full, complicated, nuanced exploration of what it means to be alive right now, and I could just feel young people really hungry for it.”
Gold received critical acclaim for his work on Shakespeare’s “King Lear,” “Hamlet” and “Othello.” On Sept. 26, Gold is bringing “Romeo and Juliet” to the Circle in the Square theater, starring Kit Connor as Romeo and Rachel Zegler as Juliet.
SUNSET PARK — “As a resident of Marine Park, one of the great surprises I found biking around Industry City and visiting Japan Village was to discover Bush Terminal Park. I continue to be amazed at the serene hideaways that the city offers in some of the busiest places — and, still, with an iconic view.”
BROOKLYN HEIGHTS — ‘A miracle that no one was killed …’ That’s what neighbors are saying about the collapse of the Hotel St. George marquee. Shown in this photograph are workmen beginning the removal and repair of the historic, old neon sign at the corner, referencing a relic of Brooklyn Heights’ past: the St. George Hotel.
ATLANTIC AVENUE — Exhausted shopper with cluster of bags and goods from mall at Boerum Place stops to look at huge construction site across the street. “Is that REALLY going to be a jail??” Her male companion is reassuring, “Nothing like Rikers … this is 21st Century.”
BROOKLYN HEIGHTS — Overheard in line at one of most popular pastry outlets on Montague Street: “Hope I can get them into a camp …” A mother with two pre-schoolers in tow was showing a friend the Dodge Y flyer for Healthy Kids Day on Saturday, April 18.
