The announcement that Tom Holland will be Romeo and Francesca Amewudah-Rivers will be Juliet in the theatrical remake of “Romeo and Juliet”, by William Shakespeare, has caused a wave of reactions on social networks, where some netizens are excited to enjoy a of the classic love stories, although others have already expressed their disagreement with the female lead in this staging that will premiere in May 2024 at the Duke of York’s Theater in London.
Holland leaves his superhero performances behind to play Romeo under the direction of Jamie Lloyd, a director who has directed actors such as Tom Hiddleston and Emilia Clarke in musicals, while Francesca Amewudah-Rivers will debut in the West End with this work that has generated a lot of expectation.
Francesca participated in the British television series “Bad Education”, while she already has experience in theater after playing Lady Macduff in Sarah Frankcom’s version of Macbeth for the Globe Theater in 2022.
In statements to the Huffington Post, the actress said she was very happy for this role as Juliet alongside Tom Holland, the beloved Peter Parker in the record-breaking Spider-Man box office franchise.
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“I’m so grateful to be making my West End debut as Juliet with The Jamie Lloyd Company. It’s a dream to join this team of incredible artists with Jamie at the helm. I’m excited to bring fresh energy to this story alongside Tom and give welcoming new audiences to the theater,” he said.
Francesca Amewudah-Rivers was part of the series “Bad Education”, and the short films “Minutes”, “Medea and Messenger”
Great commotion has been caused by the couple Tom Holland and Francesca Amewudah-Rivers as Romeo and Juliet in the tragedy by the English playwright William Shakespeare that tells the story of two young people who, despite the opposition of their relatives, rivals among themselves, decide Marry illegally and live together.
The Tomatazos site points out that the choice of Francesca as Juliet is due to two aspects: one, the preparation of the actress, who has a degree in music from the University of Oxford and was a student at the National Youth Theater of Great Britain; two, the production’s commitment to diverse representation.
However, users have expressed their displeasure with the Afro-descendant actress’ leading role with racist comments that in turn have generated discussion on the networks.
There have been many occasions in which the story of “Romeo and Juliet” has reached theaters and cinemas, one of the most remembered and applauded by critics was the one in 1996 starring Leonardo DiCaprio and Claire Danes.
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