Gracie Abrams brought “Romeo + Juliet” to the Halloween edition of “Saturday Night Live”, changing roles between her two performances. Wearing angel wings behind an aquarium, she presented “Hit the Wall”, then returned as Romeo for “Here You Come, There You Go”. The costumes referenced Baz Luhrmann’s 1996 film starring Claire Danes and Leonardo DiCaprio, connecting the two songs through a shared cinematic tribute.
Gracie Abrams returned to “Saturday Night Live” on Saturday, October 31 and used Halloween for a double transformation inspired by cinema. Across her two musical appearances, she borrowed the costumes of the central characters in “Romeo + Juliet”, moving from Juliet to Romeo. The approach linked two songs from her current recording period with recognisable images from Baz Luhrmann’s film, rather than using unrelated disguises for each performance.
Her first appearance focused on “Hit the Wall”, the lead song that introduced her third album, “Daughter from Hell”. She chose Juliet’s white angel costume, as worn by Claire Danes in the 1996 adaptation. Its wings provided the most immediately recognisable element of the look. The costume placed a familiar film reference around material from the singer’s own catalogue, keeping the musical and visual identities distinct.
The staging extended the film connection. Abrams began behind an aquarium, recalling the scene in which the two characters first see each other through the glass. Water and fish supplied a setting for the angel costume, making the reference more specific than an outfit alone. The performance therefore drew on both wardrobe and a recognisable visual arrangement associated with the meeting between the film’s central characters.
The second appearance changed both song and character. For “Here You Come, There You Go”, Gracie Abrams wore the Hawaiian shirt associated with Leonardo DiCaprio’s Romeo, combined with the metallic sleeves of his armour. Bringing those two wardrobe elements together allowed the same performer to occupy the other side of the film’s central pair, completing a visual idea established during her first song rather than beginning a separate theme.
The choice supplied continuity across the episode’s musical sections. Viewers recognising Juliet at the start could later identify Romeo in the second appearance. Each song had its own clothing and performance, while the film connected them. The tribute consequently depended on the relationship between the two presentations, using the programme’s separate musical slots to build a small sequence around the Halloween setting of the broadcast.
Luhrmann’s “Romeo + Juliet” moved Shakespeare’s story into a contemporary environment where contrasting costumes were a substantial part of the visual language. The angel outfit, patterned shirt and armour came from that approach. Thirty years after the film’s release, Abrams selected those elements for Halloween. The reference concerns its imagery rather than a claim that the songs themselves were written for or directly adapted from the film.
The evening marked Gracie Abrams’ second appearance as the programme’s musical guest. Her debut came in December 2024 during an episode hosted by Chris Rock. This time, Inde Navarrette hosted “Saturday Night Live” for the first time. Between the two visits, Abrams’ recording career had reached another stage, with a third album following the success of “The Secret of Us” and establishing a new chart milestone.
“The Secret of Us”, released in 2024, reached No. 2 on the US albums chart. “Daughter from Hell” then gave her a first No. 1. Released on July 17 through Interscope, the third album includes production work from regular collaborator Aaron Dessner. It entered the chart with 124,000 equivalent album units in its first week, supplying the main recording context for the new television performances.
“Hit the Wall” held a particular place as the first song introduced from that album. Abrams has described writing it as an almost hypnotic experience, remembering especially the sense that the piece was finished. In her account, it established the tone for what followed on the record. At “SNL”, she paired that opening chapter of the album campaign with Juliet’s image and the aquarium setting.
The song entered the US singles chart and reached No. 45 on the Global 200. “Here You Come, There You Go” represents the next addition to the project, appearing on the expanded “Daughter from Hell” edition expected on November 20. Its performance brought forthcoming material alongside a song from the main album, placing different stages of the same release period within the two television slots.
Expanded editions already have a significant place in Gracie Abrams’ success. “That’s So True”, added to “The Secret of Us”, remains her highest-charting US single, reaching No. 6 for her first Top 10. After “SNL”, the “Look at My Life Tour” begins on December 2 in Denver and runs through May 2027, including four nights at London’s O2 Arena. The broadcast therefore precedes the next concert phase.
Before that tour begins, Abrams used one programme to present two sides of her recent material. “Hit the Wall” appeared through Juliet, while “Here You Come, There You Go” arrived through Romeo. Halloween supplied the occasion, but the costumes and aquarium made the tribute specific: a pair of musical performances connected by the visual world of a film released three decades earlier.
