Romeo & Juliet: Production company condemns 'deplorable' racist abuse aimed at cast member

Romeo And Juliet will run at the Duke Of York's Theatre from Saturday May 11 to Saturday August 3

Racist comments aimed at a cast member of a new production of Romeo and Juliet starring Tom Holland have been condemned as "deplorable" by a theatre company.

The Jamie Lloyd Company said the abuse towards an unnamed cast member "must stop" and that it is continuing to "support and protect everyone in our company at all costs".

The development comes after the full cast of the show was announced last month, with Francesca Amewudah-Rivers to star as Juliet alongside Holland - who will play Romeo.

Tomiwa Edun, Freema Agyeman and Joshua Alexander-Williams are among the other castings that have been announced - reprising the roles of Capulet, Nurse and Mercutio respectively.

In a statement, The Jamie Lloyd Company said: "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.

"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."

The statement added "bullying and harassment have no place online, in our industry or in our wider communities" and that rehearsals will continue with "generosity and love, and focus on the creation of our production".

Holland's return to the theatre stage represents his first major role since his debut in Billy Elliot The Musical in 2008.

He is world-famous for playing the titular role in the latest Spider-Man superhero movies, including Spider-Man: Homecoming (2017) and Spider-Man: Far From Home (2019).

Romeo And Juliet will run at the Duke Of York's Theatre from Saturday May 11 to Saturday August 3.

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