Spencer Sutherland, Kenzie Ziegler, and Anthony Gargiula on making their Broadway debuts in ‘& Juliet’

Hear from the three young stars, all of whom already have strong fanbases from TV and social media, about stepping on stage in the hit pop musical.

Summary

• Spencer Sutherland, Kenzie Ziegler, and Anthony Gargiula are currently making their Broadway debuts in & Juliet
• Ziegler is known for the reality show Dance Moms, and Sutherland and Gargiula are musicians with large social media followings
• The three actors discuss preparing for their Broadway debuts, their first times seeing the show, and their theatrical backgrounds
• & Juliet runs at the Stephen Sondheim Theatre through January 3

September 15, 2026 marked an unforgettable marquee moment for Spencer Sutherland, Kenzie Ziegler, and Anthony Gargiula. That’s when they all made their Broadway debuts in & Juliet.

Each actor brings distinct talents to the jukebox musical by David West Read (book) and Max Martin (music and lyrics) that remixes Shakespeare’s Romeo & Juliet. Long story short: The star-crossed lovers don’t die, and their reimagined story gets set to 30 modern pop hits.

Sutherland, 34, a musician and actor known for The X Factor and I Know What You Did Last Summer, plays Romeo — a more comedic version than the classic tragic hero. “Romeo is just like a Labrador retriever. He has one brain cell,” said Sutherland, adding that the character’s sole aim is “to love Juliet.”

Sutherland’s first encounter with & Juliet came only when he was cast in it. “I was expecting to laugh and dance and have a good time. I wasn't expecting to cry,” he said. “The show has so much heart. It’s the perfect gateway to Broadway and the best songs of all time."

Sutherland fell hard for theatre as a teen. “I was in a lot of plays and musicals,” he said. “Everything from Guys and Dolls to High School Musical to White Christmas. I had a blast. It’s so great to be doing it again at the highest level possible.” Even if it meant reckoning with his fear of heights, which comes into play thanks to Romeo’s dramatic entrance from the rafters. “It took me a minute to get used to that,” he added.

But the challenge allows his fans see him in a different light. “You’ve never really seen me do something like this,” Sutherland said of Broadway, “because I've never seen me do something like this before. I've acted and stuff before. But this is a whole new thing.”

Dance Moms TV star Ziegler also explores a new side of her skills as the featured ensemble dancer Charmion. Her years of rigorous studio dance training made her ripe for the part, but it's been years since she regularly danced "for hours and hours and hours," like Broadway requires. So how did she prepare? “Loads of stretching, loads of dancing. I was in dance classes as much as possible,” the 22-year-old said. “Muscle memory really helped me through.”

"It's a little harder now," Ziegler admitted. "But I love dance so much and it's been helping me so much. I've been healing my dance journey for sure."

Touching base with previous Charmions, like social media star Charli D’Amelio and Olympic gymnast Laurie Hernandez, also came in handy. “They’re both so encouraging and amazing,” she said. “What’s so great about & Juliet is that no matter what character you're going into, you can make it your own.”

Like Sutherland, Ziegler was cast before she first attended & Juliet. “I actually saw the show for the first time a few weeks ago when I was in the process of rehearsing,” she said. “I laughed so hard, I cried so hard. I’m just so excited to be a part of such an amazing show.”

Gargiula, a 27-year-old singer known for his social media series "Counter-Melodies," plays François (aka Frankie), who has feelings for Juliet and her friend May. “I took a lot of voice lessons to make sure I was in the best shape I could be in,” he said, adding that the musical really demands that. “Day two of rehearsals, I was like, ‘Oh, wow, I am winded.’”

Gargiula has a deep connection to theatre. “I did a bunch of shows as a little kid. When I turned 18, I moved to Orlando,” the Albany, New York native said. “I performed in shows at the different [Disney] parks. It was a big leap into professional theatre.”

He first experienced & Juliet on Broadway last fall. “My amazing friend Cheryl Porter was in as Angelique,” he said. “I laughed, I cried, I danced, I cried again. The first thing that came into my brain was, 'I have to somehow be a part of this.'” Talk about manifesting.

Covering hits like *NSYNC's “It’s Gonna Be Me” and the Backstreet Boys' “As Long as You Love Me” is a blast for Gargiula, and so is making audiences laugh. “I get to be really funny and crack a lot of jokes, which I don’t do a lot on social media,” said Gargiula. “Honestly, we keep laughing because I am so Frankie-coded in real life. It’s like I’m basically up there being myself.”

Get & Juliet tickets now.

Gillian Russo contributed reporting to this story.

Photo credit: Spencer Sutherland, Kenzie Ziegler, and Anthony Gargiula. (Sutherland photo by Lexie Alley, Ziegler photo by Jason Puma, Gargiula photo by Trevor Paul)