Tom Holland’s first ‘Romeo & Juliet’ preview canceled amid reports of frenzy behind the scenes
The show might go on, but it’s unclear when after Tom Holland’s first preview of “Romeo & Juliet” was canceled on Saturday.
Ticketholders were notified ahead of Saturday night’s performance that the limited revival of Shakespeare’s tragic romance “cannot go ahead as planned” in London’s West End, Deadline reports.
Though the decision to cancel — a move reportedly agreed upon Thursday — was attributed to “the technical aspects of the production needing further preparation,” insiders suggested something else might have been at play.
Deadline described “frantic scenes during rehearsals this week as [director Jamie] Lloyd and his creative team attempted to fix what it was that required ‘further preparation.'”
While the show is currently still slated to premiere May 23, it’s unknown if or when a preview will take place next week.
The production features the “Spider-Man” star, 27, and Francesca Amewudah-Rivers as the titular ill-fated lovers — marking Holland’s first significant stage role since his boyhood debut in “Billy Elliot: the Musical.”
The canceled preview isn’t the only hiccup that has plagued the production, which may be forced to extend its season in order to combat “limited availability.” Saturday’s ticketholders were provided with a link to exchange tickets for a later performance in the run, which is already sold out, per Deadline.
The cancellation comes a little over a month after the show’s producer, the Jamie Lloyd Company, issued a statement shutting down the “barrage of deplorable racial abuse online” that followed the news of Amewudah-Rivers’ casting as Juliet.
“This must stop,” the production company said. “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 “Bad Education” actress was also supported by over 800 actors — many of whom are Black, female or nonbinary — who responded to the abuse in an open letter published by The Guardian.
“Too many times, Black performers — particularly Black actresses — are left to face the storm of online abuse after committing the crime of getting a job on their own,” the letter reads.
