'Romeo & Juliet' play starring Tom Holland, Francesca Amewudah-Rivers faces 'racial abuse'
The production company behind the West End production of "Romeo & Juliet" is condemning "deplorable racial abuse" online after the announcement of its cast, which stars Tom Holland and Francesca Amewudah-Rivers.
In a statement shared on Instagram by The Jamie Lloyd Company, the company said, "This must stop."
"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," the statement began. "This must stop."
"We are working with a remarkable group of artists," the statement continued. "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," the company said in its statement. "Our rehearsal room is full of joy, compassion and kindness. We celebrate the extraordinary talent of our incredible collaborators. The Romeo & Juliet community will continue to rehearse with generosity and love, and focus on the creation of our production. – The Jamie Lloyd Company."
The production company didn't name which actor in its upcoming play was experiencing the backlash, but some negative comments have appeared in the comments section of posts shared by Amewudah-Rivers, who is portraying Juliet in the play.
The Jamie Lloyd Company's message, which was shared on April 5, comes more than two weeks after The Jamie Lloyd Company shared its full cast for "Romeo & Juliet."
Along with Holland, who was announced as Romeo, and Amewudah-Rivers as Juliet, the diverse cast also includes Freema Agyeman as Nurse, Joshua-Alexander Williams as Mercutio and Ray Sesay as Tybalt.
Michael Balogun will also play Friar and Daniel Quinn-Toye will join the cast as Paris.
"Romeo & Juliet" is slated to run for 12 weeks at the Duke of York's Theatre in London's West End starting in May 11 and will run through Aug. 3.
