As rehearsals begin in Coventry, we're thrilled to announce the full casting for the 2025 world premiere of Romeo and Juliet, an innovative new co-production of Shakespeare’s play, originally scored with rap and R&B.
Romeo and Juliet opens at the Belgrade from 21 Feb – 8 Mar 2025, with a national press night on Wed 26 Feb 2025 before playing in Bristol 12 Mar – 5 Apr 2025, and at Hackney Empire 23 – 26 Apr.
Romeo and Juliet is a flagship Belgrade Theatre in-house production, directed by Creative Director, Corey Campbell. A co-production with Bristol Old Vic and Hackney Empire, with set and costume design by Simon Kenny and in collaboration with local Midlands artists That’s A Rap (lyrics), and A Class (music), this will be the original play, originally scored – with rap and R&B: a Shakespearean lyrical love story – for people who love the music of the spoken word of every generation.
Joining the previously announced Mia Khan (The Motive and the Cue, West End, Steeltown Murders, BBC1) as ‘Juliet’ and Kyle Ndukuba (making his professional debut) as ‘Romeo’, will be Yasmin Wilde (Billie The Kid, Vaudeville Theatre; Glitterball, RIFCO) as ‘Friar Lawrence’, Natasha Lewis (Brief Encounter, Stephen Joseph Theatre/Theatre By The Lake; All My Sons, Queens Theatre Hornchurch/New Wolsey Theatre) as ‘Nurse’, Asheq Akhtar (screen credits include Black Mirror, Man Like Mobeen, His Dark Materials; making his stage debut) as ‘Lord Capulet’, Lauren Moakes (The Gretchen Question, Fuel Theatre/Shipwright; You are Now Approaching Old Red Lion Theatre) as ‘Lady Capulet’, Dillon Scott-Lewis (People, Places and Things, National Theatre and 42 Balloons, Vaudeville Theatre) as ‘Mercutio’, Andre Antonio (Aladdin, Lyric Theatre Hammersmith, Get Up Stand Up, West End) as ‘Benvolio’, Sam Gosrani (The Lovely Bones, Birmingham Repertory Theatre; Beyond The Rainbow, Welsh National Opera) as ‘Tybalt’, Elwyn Williams (The Butterfly Hunter, Theatr na nÓg; Just Jump/Y Naid, Theatr na nÓg) as ‘Paris’, Ellena Vincent (The Book of Grace, Arcola Theatre; Sylvia, Old Vic) as ‘Montague’, Pete Ashmore (Christmas in Exeter Street, Farnham Maltings’ Great Hall; Table Manners, Eastbourne Theatres) as ‘Prince Escalus’ and Ayesha Patel (Lizzie, Southwark Playhouse Elephant; Hope Mill Theatre; Go! The Musical, The Gatehouse) as ‘Rosalind’. A community choir, and young practitioners from the Belgrade Ensemble will also perform alongside the professional company.
Originally written by William Shakespeare, this innovative co-production of Romeo and Juliet will be directed by Corey Campbell with music and lyrics by A Class and That’s a Rap respectively, with sets & costumes designed by Simon Kenny, lighting design by Chris Swain, choreography and movement direction from Annie-Lunnette Deakin-Foster, vocal coach Simon Ratcliffe, fight direction by RC Annie – Rachel Bown Williams, digital content creation by Simone Herbert, Reisz Amos will be both vocal arranger and community choir leader, joined by community choir mentors Corah Fowles and Yannick van den Bosse.
This is unmistakeably Shakespeare’s love story, largely unaltered in its original text. But it’s not just Shakespeare’s play. There is an important Plus One: rap.
Everything that makes Shakespeare’s play so well-loved is here. The rich, feuding families. The intense, forbidden passion. And the flash of violence that tears the young lovers apart, sending them spiralling towards tragedy.
The story shines with new, original elements of rap – as well as soul and R&B. Think every day English as well as the Elizabethan variety. And the poetry of rap rhythms as well as perfect pentameters.
As Corey Campbell explains, this production of Romeo and Juliet offers a gateway to classical drama for new audiences.
“The story’s emotional core—two people who shouldn’t love each other doing so despite the cost—remains hugely relevant. Their love is the only thing that forces their parents, the politicians, to wake up and see that love is better than war.”
The show, designed to appeal to both first-time theatre-goers and seasoned audiences, represents Corey’s vision of making classical works accessible.
“Whether you love Shakespeare or think his work is ‘not for you,’ I promise this Romeo and Juliet has something for everyone.”
With the ever-growing popularity of rap music in drama, That’s A Rap aim to provide a blueprint for Theatre, Film and TV practitioners to maximize the impact of its use. With their guidance and support and creative flare, dramatic rap will jump from novelty musical moments to integral parts of the narrative, taking the work from an innovative idea to a spectacular product. That’s A Rap are active in the community, delivering workshops in storytelling and self-expression to community organisations, schools and Alternative Education Provision. In the work they create, they strive to amplify the voices of the young people they work with, ensuring they feel seen and represented within the work That’s A Rap make. With their commitment to the authentic presentation of rap music on stage, as well as the strong sense of social consciousness within the work, That’s A Rap create work of the highest quality and impact.
Romeo and Juliet will be a Belgrade Theatre flagship in-house production. The show is part of the new strand of work under the leadership team’s creative vision for the people of Coventry and the wider region; the next step in the Belgrade’s long-standing commitment to the process of co-creation and artistic excellence.
