& Charli? On Sept. 30, it was announced that influencer Charli DāAmelio would join the Broadway production of & Juliet, and the internet has thoughts. In case you donāt know, & Juliet retells the classic love story of Romeo and Juliet as a jukebox musical (a show that uses existing music rather than original songs). In this new version, Juliet doesnāt die, and lives life on her own terms. The show will be held at the Sondheim Theatre from Oct. 29, 2024, through Jan.19, 2025. DāAmelio will be joining the ensemble cast as Charmian, making this her Broadway debut.
āiām so incredibly excited to finally share that iāll be joining the cast of & Juliet on Broadway! this has been my ultimate dream ever since i was a little girl, but it always felt like something i could only admire from a distance, never imagining iād actually get to be part of it. and now, here i am, starting this amazing new chapter in my life and cherishing every second,” D’Amelio announced on Instagram. “i honestly canāt find the right words to describe just how much this means to me. iām deeply grateful to everyone who has supported me along the way; i wouldnāt be here without all of you. a ginormous thank you to the entire & Juliet team for allowing me to be part of such a special show. thank you from the bottom of my heart.š¤ā It definitely is another big break in DāAmelioās career.Ā
Of course, the internet had quite the reaction to this news. DāAmelio blew up on social media for her TikTok dances and even won Season 31 of Dancing with the Stars in 2022. So, it makes sense for some that her next dance steps are on the Broadway stage. Others, however, believe this was a definite miscasting.
Charli DāAmelio being stunt cast on Broadway in &Juliet but still being in the ensemble is the funniest theater news so far this year I feel
ā Jason P. Frank (@jasonspank) September 30, 2024
Charli DāAmelio is real as fuck because if I became unfathomably internet famous I would also parlay it into a really fun broadway ensemble track
ā twunk princess diana (@promisinghomo) September 30, 2024
Everyone hating on the fact that Charlie DāAmelio is on Broadway seriously have lost the plot. Now I donāt necessarily like Charlie but she is casted in the Ensemble as a dancing role which she is literally known for. It makes sense to cast a dancer as a dancer ššš
ā GrandeFlamesButera (@Butera2Flames) September 30, 2024
Charli dāamelio joining the ensemble of &julietā¦ā¦ā¦.they said girl donāt speak
ā DRAMATURGY AMY (@DramaturgyAmy) September 30, 2024
charli dāamelio on broadway was not on my 2024 bingo cardā¦ or any of my bingo cards at allā¦
ā ćā L. (@klenasburrow) September 30, 2024
Broadway fans are passionate, and some arenāt super excited about this news. Celebrity and influencer stunt casting isnāt anything new on Broadway (no one can forget Cameron Dallas as Aaron Samuels in Mean Girls). Sometimes, it works, and other times, it definitely doesnāt. DāAmelio is a dancer, so this does make sense to some degree. Plus, at a time when Broadway is looking to draw in younger audiences, casting someone like DāAmelio makes sense. Of course, that doesnāt take away the fact that many dancers (perhaps with more stage experience) who arenāt as popular work extremely hard for a chance to be cast in Broadway shows.Ā
Thereās definitely been a mix of opinions online. DāAmelioās fans are excited to see her in the show, while some Broadway fans arenāt as happy. Weāll have to wait until the end of October to see how DāAmelio performs in & Juliet. But regardless of how you feel about the casting, the reaction from everyone seems to be already drawing more attention to the show, which was surely a part of the plan.Ā