cross-posted from: https://lemmy.world/post/13958294
The Jamie Lloyd Company has hit back after its production of Shakespeare’s “Romeo & Juliet” has been the subject of what they call a “barrage of deplorable racial abuse” aimed at an unnamed cast member.
The play, directed by Jamie Lloyd (“Sunset Boulevard”), stars “Spider-Man: No Way Home” star Tom Holland as Romeo and Francesca Amewaduh-Rivers (“Sex Education”) as Juliet.
On Friday, the Jamie Lloyd Company issued a statement, saying: “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.”
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“Romeo & Juliet” is due to play at London’s Duke of York’s Theatre May 23 through Aug. 3. The run is already sold out.
I agree it’s a damn travesty that Tom Holland is trying to play an Italian boy
Wait until these people hear that Juliet used to be played by a man
Wait until they find out she’s only 13.
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Let’s be honest: none of the people complaining about race in an adaptation of a Shakespeare play are going to go and see a Shakespeare play.
I doubt anyone complaining even formed their views themselves, rather just told what views to have by some “free thinker” con man
And let’s be honest, any intelligent marketing person would use even a single comment to try and get attention for their, ahem, difficult-to-market play
I don’t understand how this play could possibly be hard to market, it’s possibly the most famous English stage play with very famous people. What am I missing here?
It’s shakespeare. It’s boring, the younger crowd aren’t interested any more
Or were you hoping I’d say something racist? 😂
Yeah, more like I worry that was your implication, it was hard to read it any other way.
I’m sure the younger crowd are just as interested in a play from 1597 as you were in the 1900s, and doubly so in Tom Holland. Seems like the tickets would sell themselves
Seems like the tickets would sell themselves
Holds out Yorick’s skull
Remains to be seen
A fellow of milkable wealth.
Out the harassers. Publish their hate, find them, talk to their families, jobs. Make. Them. Famous.
You don’t have to constantly justify or rationalise having ethnic minorities in your production. I kind of wish they’d just release a statement saying “fuck off racist scum” instead of the pitiful sounding hakuna matata stuff.
Romeo and Juliet aren’t the stars, they’re the vehicle. Mercutio and Tybalt are the stars of the play.
It’s clearly there in the first lines of the play:
Two households, both alike in dignity and whiteness, In fair Verona where we lay our scene,
They are mad because he’s white?
I hate seeing the same actors over and over. go away Tom
