Back in 1597 when William Shakespeare wrote “Wherefore art thou, Romeo?” it’s impossible to assume who he had in mind to read the line. Fast forward a few hundred years, that same Romeo will be played by none other than Tom Holland in the West End production of the play. Shakespeare would have loved him in Spider-Man.
The Jamie Lloyd Company has rounded out the cast for the upcoming production, which is set to open in May and run until August. Francesca Amewudah-Rivers is set to take the stage as Juliet, opposite Holland’s Romeo. Amewudah-Rivers only has one previous acting credit on the BBC series Bad Education.
The cast also includes Doctor Who’s Freema Agyeman as the Nurse, Michael Balogun as the Friar, Tomiwa Edun as Capulet, Ray Sessay as Tybalt and Joshua-Alexander Williams as the pun-loving Mercutio. Are you getting High School English flashbacks yet?
Holland expressed his excitement in a statement.”Beyond excited to announce our cast for Romeo and Juliet. I can’t wait to get started and I know we’ll create something really special together.” It will be so special as long as you forget how the play ends.
This will be the latest project for Holland, who took a brief acting hiatus last summer. Romeo and Juliet will also mark Holland’s return to the stage after getting his big break as Billy Elliot at the age of 12. Unfortunately, Romeo and Juliet does not have as many elaborate dance numbers. Yet.