Tom Holland is supported by his girlfriend Zendaya at Romeo & Juliet
They have rapidly become Hollywood’s favourite power couple.
And Tom Holland and Zendaya showed why on Thursday night, as the actress supported her boyfriend at the press night of Romeo & Juliet at The Duke Of York’s Theatre in London.
The Spider-Man star, 27, stars as Romeo in the Jamie Lloyd production alongside Francesca Amewudah-Rivers as Juliet.
And following the performance, he walked hand in hand with Zendaya, 27, out of the theatre to greet the crowd of waiting fans.
The actor looked exhausted but pleased as he waved, wearing a black Prada jumper and a matching pair of tailored trousers.
Tom Holland and Zendaya cemented their place as Hollywood’s favourite power couple on Thursday night, as the actress supported her boyfriend at the press night of Romeo & Juliet at The Duke Of York’s Theatre in London
The Spider-Man star, 27, stars as Romeo in the Jamie Lloyd production alongside Francesca Amewudah-Rivers as Juliet
And following the performance, he walked hand in hand with Zendaya, 27, out of the theatre to greet the crowd of waiting fans
While Zendaya showcased her famously impeccable style once again, in a black gothic-inspired dress, adorned with sequins.
The dazzling number boasted a corseted bodice, to cinch her in at her tiny waist and a wide flared skirt.
The Challengers star boosted her height in a pair of black leather boots and added a long beaded pendant necklace.
Zendaya swept her hair into an elegant bun and beamed proudly as she led her boyfriend to their waiting car.
The initial reactions to the modern adaptation of the Shakespeare tragedy have been very positive, with the lucky attendees of the previews taking to social media to praise lead stars Tom and Francesca, as ‘amazing’ and ‘superb casting’.
And spilling the beans about what people can expect, many teased that the production was ‘violent’ and ‘creative’ with ‘unexpected humour’ and ‘lots of kissing’.
One woman who watched the production told MailOnline: ‘I’ve never seen anything like it. It was an amazing production and a brilliant performance by Tom.
‘It was absolutely brilliant – there were so many jaw-dropping moments. The whole thing was a real triumph.’
The actor looked exhausted but pleased as he waved, wearing a black Prada jumper and a matching pair of tailored trousers
While Zendaya showcased her famously impeccable style once again, in a black gothic-inspired dress, adorned with sequins
The dazzling number boasted a corseted bodice, to cinch her in at her tiny waist and a wide flared skirt and the Challengers star added heeled boots and a beaded necklace, while beaming proudly and leading her boyfriend to their waiting car
However, attendees were divided over award-winning director Jamie’s signature stripped-back staging, with several branding it ‘underwhelming’.
Photos shared online of the set show a modern and industrial style, with a large iron fence and block letters spelling out Verona, where the play is set, while the cast sported casual outfits, like black hoodies and T-shirts.
While The Daily Mail’s Patrick Marmion gave the play four stars and singled out Tom for praise, gushing: ‘His commanding cheekbones and curving jaw suck the breath from the audience and keep us wrapped in his dreamy gaze.’
The play marks Tom’s first return to the stage after his West End debut in 2008, when he played the lead role in Billy Elliot the Musical at 12 years old.
Speaking about his casting, director Jamie said: ‘Tom Holland is one of the greatest, most exciting young actors in the world. It is an honour to welcome him back to the West End.’
Following his debut performance earlier this month, Tom took to his Instagram to pay tribute to his co-stars and call the show ‘a highlight of my career’.
The play also stars Freema Agyeman (Nurse), Michael Balogun (Friar), Tomiwa Edun (Capulet), Mia Jerome (Montague), Daniel Quinn-Toye (Paris), Ray Sesay (Tybalt), Nima Taleghani (Benvolio), Joshua-Alexander Williams (Mercutio), and Callum Heinrich and Kody Mortimer (Camera Operators).
The production is set to run for 12 weeks until August 3, before it will reportedly transfer to Broadway later this year.
The initial reactions to the modern adaptation of the Shakespeare tragedy have been very positive, with the lucky attendees of the previews taking to social media to praise lead stars Tom and Francesca, as ‘amazing’ and ‘superb casting’
While The Daily Mail’s Patrick Marmion gave the play four stars and singled out Tom for praise, gushing: ‘His commanding cheekbones and curving jaw suck the breath from the audience and keep us wrapped in his dreamy gaze’
However, attendees were divided over award-winning director Jamie’s signature stripped-back staging , with several branding it ‘underwhelming’
The play marks Tom’s first return to the stage after his West End debut in 2008, when he played the lead role in Billy Elliot the Musical at 12 years old
DAILY MAIL’S PATRICK MARMION REVIEWS ROMEO AND JULIET
Spider-Man Tom Holland was never going to have much difficulty scaling the walls of the Capulets’ villa in Verona to reach Juliet’s balcony in Shakespeare’s love story.
But in the event, Jamie Lloyd’s daringly dirgeful production, which opened in the West End last night, only requires him to reach the giddy heights of a microphone stand.
Yes, this new production of Romeo & Juliet is a typical example of Lloyd celebrity minimalism – following in the footsteps of James McAvoy in Cyrano and Nicole Scherzinger in Sunset Boulevard.
As usual, that means a run on mics in the capital for a production that is whispered – and sometimes merely breathed – into the amplification system.
As usual, that means a run on mics in the capital for a production that is whispered – and sometimes merely breathed – into the amplification system
Gone is the sunshine of fair Verona, where Shakespeare lays his scene.
Instead, we get the Stygian darkness of Soutra Gilmour’s stage design – empty but for lighting rigs and a giant cinematic billboard relaying close-ups of the action as cameramen track actors on stage, and around the building itself (Romeo’s banishment to Mantua takes him up on to the roof).
The play is famously preoccupied with death and Lloyd makes the most of that, with a cast dressed in black jeans, T-shirts and hoodies. It’s monotone, monochrome and mannered. If you took the production’s pulse, you might be tempted to call a priest.
Sometimes, it even feels as if Lloyd is deliberately trying to throttle the life out of the febrile passion that normally drives this headlong love story. And yet, cometh the hour, cometh the (Spider) man… all 5ft 8ins of him.
Damn, he’s a buff and good-looking bloke. His commanding cheekbones and curving jaw suck the breath from the audience and keep us wrapped in his dreamy gaze.
Instead, we get the Stygian darkness of Soutra Gilmour’s stage design – empty but for lighting rigs and a giant cinematic billboard relaying close-ups of the action as cameramen track actors on stage, and around the building itself (Romeo’s banishment to Mantua takes him up on to the roof)
It’s monotone, monochrome and mannered. If you took the production’s pulse, you might be tempted to call a priest
Sometimes, it even feels as if Lloyd is deliberately trying to throttle the life out of the febrile passion that normally drives this headlong love story. Pictured: Daniel Quinn-Toye stars as Paris
Nima Taleghani (pictured) stars as Benvolio
I missed the colour of the masked ball where Romeo and Juliet meet, and the drama of the sword fight when Romeo calamitously kills Juliet’s cousin Tybalt
After meeting Juliet he does a jig like a footballer celebrating a goal, but otherwise moves with the precision of a cat. And although it’s stillness he does best, the shy smiles he scatters on his beloved are – in Hollywood terms – worth a million dollars. In the circumstances, Francesca Amewudah-Rivers holds up well as Juliet.
Lloyd discourages her from showing too much personality or independent spirit (as he does everyone), yet she has a quiet maturity that sits easily with the poetry.
Likewise, Michael Balogun as Friar Lawrence imposes gravitas and good sense on the not so rash young lovers. The one surprise is Freema Agyeman as Juliet’s youthful Nurse.
Normally ample, ageing and garrulous, Nurse is here a 30-something party girl with attitude. Much of her wittering in the Bard’s original is cut, and instead she gets lines from Juliet’s mother, who is controversially ditched altogether.
I missed the colour of the masked ball where Romeo and Juliet meet, and the drama of the sword fight when Romeo calamitously kills Juliet’s cousin Tybalt.
But we may not get a chance to see Holland live on stage again if Hollywood has its way – so happy are they who have a ticket already for this curious but nearly sold-out requiem. And even happier they who can afford £275 a pop
Pictured: Tom Holland as Romeo
Freema Agyeman (pictured) stars as nurse
