Rachel Zegler’s niche theatre Halloween costume is perfect
Niche Halloween costumes are fun. When you incorporate memes into your holiday festivities, it can be a really exciting thing. There’s always that one person who knows what you are. And Rachel Zegler’s costume was a perfect mix of theatre kid and chronically online vibes.
Zegler is currently starring as Juliet in a new production of Romeo + Juliet on Broadway. Meaning she had to work on Halloween night. That didn’t stop her from coming out dressed in costume. Well, sort of. The end of the play ends with Zegler wearing blood. Arguably not all over her face but she does have blood on her as Juliet stabs herself at the end of the William Shakespeare story
But since Zegler was heading out to the stage door for her show to sign Playbills for fans, she decided to bring another iconic bloody look to life: Nicole Scherzinger’s look at the stage door for Sunset Boulevard after the show’s first preview on Broadway.
In theatre, there is a tradition after each performance. If a star is up to it, they can go out and sign the Playbills of those who were there for that night’s performance and fans have a chance to talk with some of their favorite actors. Scherzinger, who is currently playing Norma on Broadway, came out covered in blood after the show’s first performance and the meme became legendary. Zegler recreated it and it is perfect.
As someone who was also covered in blood for Halloween, I understand the desire to do the Nicole Scherzinger pose. It is iconic, after all.
This is one of those unique moments where a theatre moment becomes popular online. If you told me years ago that Sunset Boulevard would be a meme, I wouldn’t have believed you yet here we are.
The Sunset Boulevard meme are top notch
It all kind of started with the first song back from intermission. After Act 1, the song “Sunset Boulevard” happens. In this Jamie Lloyd production, Tom Francis sings it but does so from the street. In London, it seemed to be a bit more control than it is here in New York and the memes for it are hilarious. Many are making fun of the New Yorkers who will NOT move out of the way of a camera man when prompted.
Even Andrew Lloyd Weber, who created the show, joined in on the meme and walked around the city to the song.
It is funny for me to see something like this. For years, theatre kids have tried to get others involved in the magic of theatre and it does seem like the memes for Sunset Boulevard are breaking down that barrier. So thank you to Rachel Zegler for contributing to that movement. You came out of the stage door covered in blood and it was an iconic move. If only we had a camera crew following Kit Connor around and it really could have been a collision of the Broadway memes this halloween.
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