Spider-Man star Tom Holland is to return to the London stage for his first major theatre role since his debut in Billy Elliot: The Musical. Holland will play Romeo in director Jamie Lloyd’s new West End production of Romeo & Juliet, which runs at the Duke of York’s theatre for 12 weeks from 11 May.
Lloyd described Holland as “one of the greatest, most exciting young actors in the world” and said “it is an honour to welcome him back to the West End”.
Holland, 27, has played Marvel’s webslinging superhero in blockbuster movies since 2016. Last summer, he said he was taking a break from acting after starring in the Apple TV+ series The Crowded Room, a psychological thriller that he also produced. The star has become one of Britain’s best-known young screen actors but owes his career to the stage.
He went to a local dance group as a child and, after being talent-spotted and invited to audition for the London production of Billy Elliot: The Musical, joined the show in 2008 in the supporting part of Billy’s friend Michael. He then took on the lead role and, after leaving the show, established himself as a film actor.
Further casting for Romeo & Juliet has yet to be announced. Lloyd is known for mounting bold, megastar-led versions of classic plays such as Doctor Faustus with Kit Harington, Betrayal with Tom Hiddleston and The Seagull with Emilia Clarke. His new production of the musical Sunset Boulevard, with Nicole Scherzinger, recently ended a sold-out run at London’s Savoy theatre and is set to transfer to Broadway. Last year Lloyd directed Taylor Russell and Paapa Essiedu in a revival of Lucy Prebble’s play The Effect at the National Theatre; that show will open at at the Shed in New York next month.
Romeo & Juliet is billed as “a pulsating new vision of Shakespeare’s immortal tale of wordsmiths, rhymers, lovers and fighters”. It is Lloyd’s first Shakespeare production since he staged Richard III at Trafalgar Studios in 2014, with Martin Freeman in the lead role.
The director, who runs the Jamie Lloyd Company, is also known for a commitment to making theatre more affordable for younger audiences. For Romeo & Juliet, 10,000 tickets will be priced at £25 and under, with 5,000 of these exclusively reserved for those under the age of 30, key workers and those receiving government benefits.
Shakespeare’s text will be edited by Nima Taleghani, an actor who has worked with Lloyd’s company and played Mr Farouk in Netflix’s Heartstopper. The set and costume design is by Soutra Gilmour and the composer is Michael “Mikey J” Asante. Romeo & Juliet is produced by the Jamie Lloyd Company and David Binder Productions.
