Natalie Casey will take on the role of Juliet in a radical new staging of Romeo & Juliet at the New Vic Theatre this autumn.
The production, created in collaboration with theatre company Not Too Tame, marks the first time the two organisations have worked together and forms part of the New Vic’s 40th anniversary programme.
Casey, currently touring with 2.22: A Ghost Story, will star opposite comedian Russell Kane as Romeo, with both performers making their debut at the theatre.
Directed by Not Too Tame’s Artistic Director Jimmy Fairhurst, the new interpretation reimagines Shakespeare’s classic by ageing the star-crossed lovers and exploring their relationship later in life.
Fairhurst said: “We saw some incredible actors for this role, but Natalie Casey came in, grabbed the thing by the throat and made it hers. Shakespeare sounding like Shane Meadows. She understood the brief perfectly and delivered Juliet’s struggle, passion and wild joyfulness – before delivering her devastating agony. I was a mess.
The chemistry between Natalie and Russell is worth the ticket price alone…and we haven’t even started rehearsing yet. The casting of the full powerhouse ensemble is almost in place, and we’re all greyhounds in the trap, eager to start rehearsals. It’ll become brutally clear why we’re ageing the lovers up, but you can rest assured it makes the comedy and tragedy profoundly more devastating, in equal measure. So grab a pint, take a seat and get a load of this.”
Natalie Casey said: “To say I’m excited about being gifted the opportunity to enter the pantheon of icons who have also ‘Julietted’ is a vast understatement.
Not Too Tame are renowned for their groundbreaking, inventive iconic stage productions, and I’m in no doubt that Jimmy, Russell and our whole team’s take on Romeo & Juliet will raise the roof and the bar.
Strap in world, we shall endeavour to gird your loins tickle your fancy and blow your socks off!”
The production opens on 17 September and runs until 10 October 2026, with a press night on 22 September.
This contemporary retelling promises a high-energy take on the tragic love story, following a chance meeting between Romeo and Juliet that sparks a last-chance romance in a world shaped by experience, loss and danger.
Further casting is set to be announced.
Listings and ticket information can be found here.
