The Jamie Lloyd Company has hit back after its 'Romeo & Juliet' play has been the subject of racial abuse aimed at an unnamed cast member.

The Jamie Lloyd Company has hit back after its production of Shakespeare’s “Romeo & Juliet” has been the subject of what they call a “barrage of deplorable racial abuse” aimed at an unnamed cast member.

The play, directed by Jamie Lloyd (“Sunset Boulevard”), stars “Spider-Man: No Way Home” star Tom Holland as Romeo and Francesca Amewaduh-Rivers (“Sex Education”) as Juliet.

On Friday, the Jamie Lloyd Company issued a statement, saying: “Following the announcement of our ‘Romeo & Juliet’ cast, there has been a barrage of deplorable racial abuse online directed towards a member of our company. This must stop.”

  • ArugulaZ@kbin.social
    46·
    8 months ago

    Honestly, we do see a lot of this casting in the 21st century. A familiar character becomes black, whether it’s Annie or The Little Mermaid, and it leaves me ambivalent. However, in the case of Romeo and Juliet, it actually makes sense to have a racial component injected into the story. They are from warring families, correct? Race could be another point of conflict for them.

    (Besides, Shakespeare has been famously open to interpretation. Is Shylock a villain, comic relief, or a tragic victim of prejudice in his own time? That’s up to the director of the play, or the film.)

    • njm1314@lemmy.world
      45·
      8 months ago

      You are thinking way too hard about this. The character isn’t becoming black. The characters the same, she’s just played by a black actress. That doesn’t change the character. That’s why we call it acting. She’s just playing a role. Tom Holland isn’t Italian, but I noticed you didn’t bring up him changing the character.

      • hessenjunge@discuss.tchncs.de
        2·
        7 months ago

        Honestly, I think the play would gain if they added racism as additional reason for the enmity between the 2 families. I’d be astonished if this hasn’t happened before.

          • hessenjunge@discuss.tchncs.de
            1·
            7 months ago

            I’d be astonished if this hasn’t happened before.

            I’d be even more astonished if that was the only piece inspired by Romeo & Juliet.

            Also I would be totally floored if the story of Romeo & Juliet was inspired by an older predecessor or predecessors going back at least to Ancient Greece.

    • Breezy@lemmy.world
      6·
      8 months ago

      The little mermaid one didn’t make sense to me, they’re under water probably 95% of their lives getting no sun. They all were definitely pale.

      • Ech@lemm.eeEnglish
        17·
        8 months ago

        They weren’t “definitely” anything. They’re fictional creatures.

      • partial_accumen@lemmy.world
        16·
        8 months ago

        they’re under water probably 95% of their lives getting no sun. They all were definitely pale.

        You’re applying scientific principles to human skin and UV exposure response with regards to evolution and calling into question the scientific accuracy of the portrayal in the mermaid, and that leads you to disagreeing with the skin color of the actor.

        With your scientific explanation you missed a couple key points if your goal is accuracy to the biological world:

        • Why does she have a full head of hair? Scientifically, hair’s purpose is thermal regulation. There would be no need for hair when the entire mermaid body is immersed in water all the time.
        • How the hell is Ariel breathing underwater? Fish do this by having gills for the gas exchange in the water. Whales and dolphins are air breathers, but have to go to the surface to get a breath. We don’t see Ariel going to the surface to do this.

        You didn’t call either of these out as scientifically inaccurate.

        Can I ask why your scientific explanation of the mermaid was only skin color?