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.”
You know that she was portrayed by a non-Italian for the first few hundred years, right?
Of course. Italy didn’t exist yet when the play was written.
The place has been called Italia since at least 49BC
Wait, do you think that there were no Italians before the state of Italy was established?
They were not “Italians” though, they were part of the Venetian republic, which now is part of Italy.
This is like saying Pocahontas was from the US just because she was born where is now the state of Virginia.
They were. The place was called Italia before Romans set foot on British soil.
More like saying Pocahontas was a Native American. Which in most settings would be an appropriate description.
Funfact: when Garibaldi’s troops reached Sicily, chanting “Viva Garibaldi, viva l’Italia!”, many locals assumed Garibaldi’s wife is named Talia.
Wait, do you think that there were Italians before the state of Italy was established?