Inside the Opening Night of Jamie Lloyd’s Gritty ‘Romeo & Juliet’

To attend the opening night of Jamie Lloyd’s Romeo & Juliet in the West End is to be met with a gaggle of Tom Holland fans (Hollandinaters?) lining London’s St. Martin’s Lane, hoping to catch a glimpse of their Spider-Man-turned-Romeo and Zendaya in the flesh, the latter of whom was out to support her boyfriend in a vampiric Vivienne Westwood gown. The circus outside the Duke of York’s Theatre, however, is nothing compared to what’s happening inside.

The first thing I notice is a group of theatregoers wearing “Fran Is Our Juliet” T-shirts, supporting Francesca Amewudah-Rivers, the production’s Juliet Capulet. Since her casting was announced in March 2024, Amewudah-Rivers has been subjected to racism and misogynoir of the most relentless kind—with bigots setting up camp in her Instagram comments and tweeting about her appearance. The social media storm snowballed to the extent that more than 800 performers—including Lashana Lynch, Marianne Jean-Baptiste, and Sheila Atim—signed an open letter of solidarity for Amewudah-Rivers in response to the online abuse.

Coursing through the theater is a constant (and unnerving) hum of trance music courtesy of composer Michael Asante and sound designers Ben and Max Ringham, long-time Jamie Lloyd Company collaborators—which mentally prepares you for this modern take on one of Shakespeare’s most famous tragedies. The dress code? Modern casual: all cast members are in some form of black-hoodie-and-baggy-jeans combo, looking a little like me when I work from home. Below, my five biggest takeaways from the two-hour-and-15-minute performance.

Jamie Lloyd’s direction is Marmite

I’m ashamed to admit that this was my first time watching a Jamie Lloyd Company production, especially after hearing such rave reviews for The Effect and Sunset Boulevard last year. I’d been forewarned of his minimalist, almost gothic modus operandi and stripped-back staging; his use of cameras and extreme lighting to set various scenes. Historically, that’s not my preference—I have self-diagnosed Cocomelon brain, and most of my favorite stage shows are Technicolour musicals—but this Romeo & Juliet lends itself to Lloyd’s aesthetic. Think pitch black darkness, thumping techno music, blood everywhere, scenes live-streamed from other parts of the theater (the Capulet ball takes place in the foyer, for example). After all, the original text is a tale of unmatchable woe, misunderstandings, and murder. What better setting than a bare stage that centers the acting and the production team’s creative engineering?

Tom and Fran were a perfect pairing

Forget what the naysayers naysay. For my part, I went in concerned that I wouldn’t be able to fully immerse myself in the show—that I could only see Tom Holland as Tom Holland, not as Romeo—and that it would all just fall a little bit flat. I was mistaken! Holland’s Romeo is brooding, down bad, forlorn, briefly happy when he meets Juliet, and quickly torn down again when she’s “dead.” He’s weeping, distraught, snotty nosed (good luck if you’re in the front row, or congratulations if that’s what you’re into), but overall gives a solid performance in what is one of Shakespeare’s most sought-after roles. Perhaps it says more about myself than Holland’s acting that I’d underestimated him because of his mega Marvel breakout.

Amewudah-Rivers similarly glows. Her Juliet is self-assured but vulnerable, innocent but streetwise all at once, and the perfect tonic to this simp Romeo. Her first entrance receives a heartening round of applause, and her comedic delivery is the reason for most of the audience’s laughs (“What’s in a name? Dash thy name!” was a personal favorite). Together, their chemistry is palpable.

The wider cast were the MVPs

Of course, Romeo and Juliet get the lion’s share of the stage time, but the rest of the characters were the anchors the production needed. I wanted to see more of Mercutio (Joshua Alexander-Williams), who’s MLE prose was a welcome addition to the fold. Nurse (Freema Agyeman) was similarly electric with her cockney-tinged delivery, and Michael Balogun’s Friar was the wise confidant Romeo needed.

They haven’t tried to water Shakespeare’s prose down, at all

I’m by no means an authority on Shakespeare as a whole, but as someone who’s studied Romeo & Juliet fairly extensively, this adaptation upholds the original text’s chewiness. In other words, you have to concentrate. Anyone attending purely to see Tom Holland in the flesh should consider ordering a No Fear Shakespeare ahead of taking their seat.

Long gone are the days of Tom Holland’s coiffed chestnut locks. He’s embracing his inner south London boy with this new choppy look. Suffice to say, I may now be a Hollandinator.