As Tom Holland and Francesca Ameuda Rivers play Shakespeare's tragic lovers in the West End, we take a look at other famous couples from the past century.
“But what kind of light is that coming through that window? / It's the East, and Juliet is the Sun.” Everyone has an opinion. Romeo and Juliet And what the story represents. Many of us have studied it in school and could relate to the way Shakespeare evokes the intensity of first love.
Romeo and Juliet, children of two great Verona families who have been at war for years, fall in love at first sight and marry in secret. Sadly, nothing goes as planned and after multiple misunderstandings, they choose to commit suicide rather than live without each other.
Romeo and Juliet The film gives two outstanding roles to young actors, inevitably shaped by the director's vision and the context in which it is performed: on screen, the lovers have been played by Leslie Howard and Norma Shearer, Leonard Whiting and Olivia Hussey, Leonardo DiCaprio and Claire Danes, among others.
Here are some of the most notable pairings from seminal Broadway and West End theatre and dance productions: Currently at the Duke of York Theatre, Tom Holland and Francesca Ameuda Rivers star in the lead roles in Jamie Lloyd's unforgettable production.
Tom Holland and Francesca Ameur Rivers (2024)
Jamie Lloyd's direction, featuring his trademark inventive video work, consciously pays homage to Spider-Man actor Tom Holland's movie star status. In a London Theatre review, our critic praised Holland's “confident performance, which evolves from boyish self-assurance to rippling rage.” Amoeba Rivers is equally impressive as a “confident Juliet, more feminine than girlish,” who “breathes new life into Shakespeare's language and reframes the dynamics of her relationship with Romeo.”
Kit Connor and Rachel Zegler (2024)
Broadway will have its own star performing at the Circle in the Square theatre later this year, with the two leading actors making their Broadway debut; British actor Kit Connor is best known for playing middle school student Nick Nelson in the Netflix hit A Broadway Show. Heart StopperRachel Zegler of Disney snow white In the remake, she played Juliet, taking on the role of Maria from Steven Spielberg's version. West Side Story. Will playing the original's romantic heroine give you a sense of deja vu? Probably not. The trailer, set to Bleachers' “Tiny Moves,” suggests the film will be set in suburbia.
Toheeb Jimo and Isis Haynesworth (2023)
Following her success cabaret and Summer and SmokeIn 2007, Rebecca Frecknall produced a breathtaking, fast-paced production of Shakespeare's romantic tragedy at the Almeida Theatre in Islington. A London theatre review said: Ted Lasso Actor Toheeb Jimoh's Romeo had “sassy charm, quick wit, a winning smile and an almost gentle kindness”, while Isis Haynesworth was “completely convincing as the awkward, inexperienced girl” and her performance of Juliet's suicide was “the most chilling I've ever felt from that horrible act”.
David Tennant and Alexandra Gilbreth (2000)
Number 10 Doctor Who Shakespearean actor David Tennant Macbeth In the autumn he appeared in the West End as Romeo in Michael Boyd's production at the Royal Scorsese Theatre, and in the same season he played the comic role of Jack Absolute. rival Antipholus of Syracuse Comedy of ErrorsBoyd encouraged Tennant to think of the invisible, untouchable Rosaline as a novice nun, and his Juliet was played by royal Scorsese stalwart Alexandra Gilbreth, who most recently played Queen Victoria in The Favourite. Empress.
Sean Bean and Niamh Cusack (1986)
A satire of the ultra-materialistic “yuppie” culture of the 1980s, Michael Bogdanoff's RSC production, with its frosty chrome-and-marble set design, offered no hope of reconciliation between feuding families after the suicides of their children. Romeo and Juliet's love was seen as the polar opposite of their parents' selfishness. The play also featured an early role for Sean Bean, who would go on to have a huge film career. sharp, Lord of the Ringand now, Shard LakeNiamh Cusack, a member of the Irish Cusack acting clan, recently That Face At the Orange Tree Theatre.
Ian McKellan and Francesca Annis (1976)
Trevor Nunn's production at the Royal Shakespeare Theatre was transformed into an Elizabethan theatre with minimal props. In the 1970s, Ian McKellan was a budding classical actor and Francesca Annis was Madame Bovary, Pin to watch Peep Showand Lilyand she played Lady Macbeth in Roman Polanski's controversial film adaptation. Macbeth.
Rudolf Nureyev and Margot Fonteyn (1965)
There have been many ballet versions of this story, but Kenneth MacMillan's version is a bona fide classic. MacMillan created the ballet for Lynne Seymour and Christopher Gable, but the opening night featured Margot Fonteyn and Rudolf Nureyev as celebrity performers. Their performance was met with 40 minutes of ovation from the audience. Fonteyn, who was 46 at the time, said that to do Juliet justice she had to be at least 40 years old.
John Stride and Judi Dench (1960)
Eight years before he directed the film starring Olivia Hussey and Leonard Whiting, Franco Zeffirelli directed Judi Dench and John Stride's doomed love affair at the Old Vic. Dench recalls that Zeffirelli “wanted teenage angst and raw emotion. He kept asking me to make it more visceral.” Her Romeo, John Stride, was a regular in Laurence Olivier's Old Vic company.
Laurence Olivier/John Gielgud and Peggy Ashcroft (1935)
In a casting twist, Laurence Olivier and John Gielgud (who also directed) alternated the roles of Romeo and Mercutio, with Peggy Ashcroft playing Juliet. Olivier reprised the role of Romeo in 1940, co-starring his new wife, Vivien Leigh. Their relationship began while both were married to other spouses, and attracted considerable press attention.
