ROMEO & JULIET Sets Fall Run at New Vic Theatre

The New Vic Theatre and Not Too Tame have announced additional casting for their bold new adaptation of Romeo & Juliet, joining previously announced stars Russell Kane and Natalie Casey. The production, which imagines Shakespeare's star-crossed lovers meeting in their 40s, marks the first collaboration between the theatre-in-the-round and Not Too Tame and runs September 17 through October 10, 2026.

Award-winning comedian Russell Kane will make his stage debut as Romeo opposite television and stage star Natalie Casey (2:22 – A Ghost Story UK Tour; Two Pints of Lager and a Packet of Crisps) as Juliet, with both performers making their New Vic Theatre debut.

Newly announced cast members include Andrew Butler as Peter, Louise Haggerty as Nurse, Lizzie Hopley as Capulet, Patrick Knowles as Friar and Tybalt, David Nellist as Montague and Paris, and Ray Sesay as Mercutio.

Directed by Not Too Tame Artistic Director Jimmy Fairhurst, the production offers a fresh perspective on Shakespeare's classic tragedy by shifting the central romance from adolescence to middle age. Rather than first love between teenagers, this adaptation explores what happens when Romeo and Juliet meet as adults, bringing years of relationships, responsibilities, and emotional baggage to a story audiences think they already know.

"Our third Shakespeare title brings a genuinely exceptional cast to a stage outside London, proof that world-class Shakespeare doesn't need a West End postcode," said Fairhurst. "Ageing Romeo & Juliet into their forties in 2026 will ask audiences to re-examine the relationships, friendships and blood ties in Shakespeare's greatest love story... We want people leaving the theatre having felt something they didn't expect from a story they thought they already knew."