The theater company behind an upcoming West Indian End production of Romeo and Juliet is condemning the “deplorable racial abuse” aimed at one of its titular stars.
According to Entertainment Weekly, Francesca Amewudah-Rivers, who will headline the production alongside Spider-Man actor Tom Holland, has encountered a lot of hateful comments after the cast was announced on insta on April 5th.
The Jamie Lloyd Company noted the “barrage” of hateful comments being directed at Ms. Rivers. The producer’s stated that the hate must come to end and affirmed that they would always support and protect everyone in their company at all costs, adding that any further abuse would be reported.
The statement continued, “Bullying and harassment have no place online, in our industry or in our wider communities. 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.”
Romeo & Juliet is set to run at the Duke of York’s Theatre in London from May 11 through August 3 with rumors already circulating that the show will transfer to Broadway.
