Jamie Lloyd, director of the Tom Holland-led West End revival of Romeo & Juliet, released a statement on Friday condemning an incident of “deplorable racial abuse” against an unnamed cast member.
“Following the announcement of our Romeo & Juliet cast, there has been a barrage of deplorable racial abuse online directed towards a member of our company,” Lloyd’s theater company wrote on social media. “This must stop. We are working with a remarkable group of artists. We insist that they are free to create work without facing online harassment.”
News of the production first made headlines in February. The show will open at London’s Duke of York’s Theatre on May 23, and run through August. Francesca Amewudah-Rivers, known for her onscreen role in Bad Education, will play Juliet. The remaining cast includes Freema Agyeman (nurse), Michael Balogun (friar), Tomiwa Edun (Capulet), Mia Jerome (Montague), Daniel Quinn-Toye (Count Paris) and Ray Sesay (Tybalt).
Lloyd’s statement, released via the Duke of York’s Theatre’s social media, continued: “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, in our industry or in our wider communities.”
Online, the Romeo & Juliet instagram page had also disabled comments as of this article’s publication on Sunday. Lloyd also noted that the company “will continue to rehearse with generosity and love, and focus on the creation of our production.”
Holland began his acting career onstage, making a name for himself as one of the young stars of Billy Elliot: The Musical in the West End. Romeo & Juliet will be his first return to the stage since then.
