First look production images are released for the first UK revival of Joe Calarco’s queer play Shakespeare’s R&J, which will run until Saturday 4th November 2023 at the Berkshire venue.
In a rigid boarding school, four repressed adolescents unearth a secret copy of Shakespeare’s tale of forbidden love… what begins as a rebellious laugh soon turns into something more violent.
Award-winning actor Elijah Ferreira (Hedwig And The Angry Inch – Leeds Playhouse/Manchester Home) will return to Reading Rep Theatre for the production, having played the roles of Young Scrooge and Fred in their 2022 remount of Beth Flintoff’s retelling of A Christmas Carol.
Ferreira will be joined in the cast by Luke Daniels (Youth and the Young Person – Reading Rep, Penetration – The Cockpit), Brayden Emmanuel (You & Me – ITV, DNA – New Wolsey Theatre) and Tom Sowinski (Million Dollar Quartet – NCL, Cilla – The Musical – UK and Ireland Tour).
Reading Rep Theatre’s Founding Artistic Director Paul Stacey will direct the play’s first UK revival, which hasn’t played a UK stage since the play’s West End debut 20 years ago, and will be joined on the creative team by Chris Cuming (A Midsummer Night’s Dream – Reading Rep, The Legend of Sleepy Hollow – UK Tour) as Movement Director, Anna Kelsey (The Wicker Husband – The Watermill Theatre, Indecent Proposal – Southwark Playhouse) as Designer, John Rainsforth (Some Enchanted Evening – Barn Theatre & Tour, Chop, Dissolve, Burn – Alphabetti Theatre) as Lighting Designer, Jamie Lu (Hedda Gabler – Reading Rep, Tokyo Rose – Southwark Playhouse & UK Tour) as Sound Designer and Sarah Harkins (Jekyll & Hyde – Reading Rep) as Casting Director.
Listings and ticket information can be found here
