Tom Holland And Francesca Amewudah-Rivers To Star In "Romeo & Juliet"

London's Duke of York's Theatre is putting on a live stage adaptation of Shakespeare's Romeo & Juliet, with Tom Holland and Francesca Amewudah-Rivers as the leading couple.

The Jamie Lloyd Company announced the full cast for the upcoming production, including Holland as Romeo and Amewudah-Rivers as Juliet. According to Deadline, the play also stars Freema Agyeman (Nurse), Michael Balogun (Friar), Tomiwa Edun (Capulet), Mia Jerome (Montague), Daniel Quinn-Toye (Paris), Ray Sesay (Tybalt), Nima Taleghani (Benvolio), Joshua-Alexander Williams (Mercutio) and Callum Heinrich and Kody Mortimer (Camera Operators).

The news has already garnered controversy on X (formerly Twitter), with some audience members disgruntled over the fact that a black woman is set to play Juliet, who is Italian in the original. "Romeo & Juliet movie then vs. now," wrote @iamyesyouareno on X, adding an image of Leonardo DiCaprio and Claire Danes as Romeo and Juliet. "They are rewriting history in front of our very eyes." Except, during Shakespeare's time, all the cast members were male... that includes Juliet."

"Women were not allowed to perform on the stage as it was judged an unseemly profession for women, until after the Restoration in the 1660s," notes the website for Shakespeare's Globe.

When casting for movies or shows, appearance often plays a significant role (I mean, who doesn't love seeing Margot Robbie as Barbie or Henry Cavill as Superman?). Television is more of a visual medium, which can heavily influence casting decisions. But when it comes to stage productions, like in the case of Romeo and Juliet, appearance only matters to a certain extent, but it's not the sole reason someone lands a lead role.

What takes center stage (pun intended), then, is the actor's talent and their ability to sing and enthrall their audience through their performance. It's more important if they can embody the character, say their lines with bravado, and act. While it does seem like Hollywood casting directors are awful these days, I think stage productions are a different animal.

I understand that plenty of redheads and white characters have been erroneously replaced in media (see here) – but Romeo and Juliet, a couple from one of the most famous plays in history, has been played by many people across different cultures. In this case, I don't think it's worth the outrage or publicity.

People in the comment section already expect the production to flop, but if you head over to The Duke of York's Theatre website, you'll find that the tickets for Romeo & Juliet are sold out.

Regardless, the Spider-Man star is eager to play Romeo. "Beyond excited to announce our cast for Romeo and Juliet. I can't wait to get started, and I know we'll create something really special together," he said.

I'm also happy for Amewudah-Rivers, who is an up-and-coming star. I'm sure this is a big deal for her. Amewudah-Rivers said, "I'm so grateful to be making my West End debut as Juliet with The Jamie Lloyd Company. It's a dream to be joining this team of incredible artists with Jamie at the helm. I'm excited to bring a fresh energy to this story alongside Tom, and to welcome new audiences to the theatre."

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