The producers of the West End’s multiracial staging of Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet, starring Spider-Man actor Tom Holland, have condemned what they call “deplorable racial abuse” aimed at actress Francesca Amewudah-Rivers, who plays Juliet.
In a statement released last week, the Jamie Lloyd Company said there has been a “barrage of deplorable racial abuse directed towards a member of company.”
“This must stop,” the company said. “We are working with a remarkable group of artists. We insist that they are free to create work without facing online harassment. We will continue to support and protect everyone in our company at all costs. Any abuse will not be tolerated and will be reported. Bullying and harassment have no place online, in our industry or in our wider communities.”
Romeo and Juliet, which is set to open in May at London’s Duke of York Theatre, features a white Romeo (Tom Holland) and a black Juliet (Francesca Amewudah-Rivers). The supporting cast is also comprised of actors of different races.
Director Jamie Lloyd typically stages his productions in an abstract and post-modern fashion, with minimal sets and actors attired in modern costumes.
Much of the online blowback appears focused on the level of attractiveness of actress Francesca Amewudah-Rivers, with some claiming that she is not in the same league as Tom Holland.
This isn’t the first time a high-profile production of the Shakespeare tragedy has featured a multiracial cast.
A 2013 Broadway staging also featured a white Romeo (Orlando Bloom) and a black Juliet (Condola Rashad). That production did not generate any appreciable online backlash over the casting.
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