Honoree Jack Antonoff is making his Broadway debut later this year. It was announced on April 16 that the renowned music producer would be crafting the score for the modern adaptation of Romeo + Juliet, starring Rachel Zegler and Kit Connor. Antonoff mentions that he spoke with Florence Welch, who did the score for The Great Gatsby at the American Repository Theater in Cambridge, Massachusetts.
“She’s guiding me through it,” he says, adding that Welch has given him “a lot of tips.” When asked about the specifics of the conversation, Antonoff said that “it’s private.” Tony-winning director Sam Gold, who will direct the Zegler and Connor-led Romeo + Juliet, is working with Antonoff on the sound for the new show. “[Gold] is so brilliant, and our conversations about what it could be are kind of wide open. We’re trying to find a sound that is somewhat bizarre and familiar,” Antonoff says.
The producer is known for his long list of credits on multiple pop stars albums. From Lorde to Lana Del Rey, he’s “got something cooking,” but was not specific about who he’s working with next. He even joked about wanting to do classical music. When asked who he’d like to collaborate with next whom he hasn’t had a chance to, Antonoff says, “I never know if I like someone’s work, and that’s already in the past.” He urges that something is on the way.
Antonoff is just coming off two-weekend performances at Coachella with his band, Bleachers. The first-weekend set was visited by his long-time collaborator, Taylor Swift, and her boyfriend, Travis Kelce. Swift’s latest project, , was released last Friday. Anotonoff is credited as a producer on 16 songs and has a songwriting credit on 10.
