Romeo and Juliet Tickets

The Bard meets the Butterfly Effect in Robert Icke’s time-bending take on Romeo and Juliet.  Ickes long-standing fascination with time sits right at the heart of this production. A digital clock flashes on the concrete walls, reminding us just how little time Romeo (Noah Jupe) and Juliet (Sadie Sink) have together. It also drives the play forwards (and backwards). When the clock is projected onto the concrete walls, scenes are reset, re-worked and repeated, and tiny changes are made (a character trips, someone runs in a different direction, a partygoer holds up Juliet) which allows the audience to see what could have been, and what is. Emphasises just how fragile, and cruel, fate can be. For a 400-year-old text, it feels startlingly alive. The adaptation is fizzing with energy and a sense of improvisation, as though anything could change. And, as key moments are replayed before us, it does.  Crucially, this production leans into the youth of its lovers. Often played with sweeping earnestness, here Romeo and Juliet are exactly what they are: teenagers. Awkward, impulsive, and overwhelmed. Their love isn’t polished, it’s clumsy, embarrassing and all-consuming. Their love, or lust, is born out of teenage obsession. They often flop onto the bed mid-confession, so consumed by the embarrassment of it all. They hide their faces, awkwardly stumble through their first kiss. Romeo is no smooth-talking Casanova; he’s goofy and unsure of himself. Juliet meets him with equal parts intensity and cringe. It’s painfully recognisable: that teenage conviction that every encounter with your crush, and every awkward, difficult or painful moment is life or death. And for them, it is. Sadie Sink, known to millions as Max from Stranger Things, proves herself utterly at home on stage, which is unsurprising, considering she started her Broadway career at just 10 years old. Here, the Tony nominee gives a captivating, and layered, performance. Her Juliet is funny, raw, completely heartfelt, and deeply human. She’s magnetic. Opposite her, Noah Jupe delivers a Romeo who is sensitive, frustrated, and hopelessly in love. With prior Shakespearean experience under his belt (he played Hamlet in Chloé Zhao’s Oscar-nominated Hamnet), he brings both emotional intelligence and comic timing to the role. Together, Sink and Jupe are a perfect (tragic) couple.

With Sadie Sink beginning performances alongside Noah Jupe in Romeo and Juliet at the Harold Pinter Theatre from next month, let’s find out more about her… Best known to global audiences as Max Mayfield in Stranger Things, Sadie Sink became one of the breakout stars of the show when she joined in Season 2 in 2017. Her arrival introduced Max, a fiercely independent skateboarder who quickly became central to the series’ action-driven storylines. Sink’s portrayal of Max’s resilience helped shape some of the show’s most talked-about arcs as the series expanded across later seasons. Where have you seen her before? Before Stranger Things, Sink built her career on stage. She first gained attention in musical theatre playing the title role in Annie, showcasing strong vocal and dramatic performance skills at a young age. She also performed as young Queen Elizabeth II in The Audience on Broadway, further establishing herself as a serious stage actor early in her career. Sink made her film debut in 2016 in the biographical sports drama Chuck (2016 film), followed by appearances in major screen projects including the superhero franchise Spider-Man (film franchise) and the 2022 drama The Whale alongside Brendan Fraser who incidentally won the Best Actor Oscar at the 95th Academy Awards in 2023 for his role as Charlie. The film was originally adapted from the stage play written by Samuel D. Hunter, reflecting Sink’s continued connection to stage storytelling.

It stars Sadie Sink, best known from Netflix's Stranger Things, but an actor with stage clout. Sink was Tony Award nominated for her role on Broadway in John Proctor is the Villain. Romeo is played by Noah Jupe, who you will recognise as Danny (Richard Onslow Roper’s son) in both seasons of The Night Manager and who plays Hamlet in the final scenes of the movie Hamnet. So, Shakespeare won’t come as an unwelcome surprise to him, as it sometimes does when actors are making the leap from screen to stage. It’s the second time that Romeo and Juliet has been seen in the West End in the space of two years, suggesting that Shakespeare is making a bit of a comeback in the commercial sector. Jamie Lloyd’s staging in 2024 with Marvel star Tom Holland as Romeo and Francesca Amewudah-Rivers may have sold out within hours of being announced, but its monochrome approach was admired rather than really loved. This revival could be the one to make you fall in love with the lovers.  Which is kind of crucial because two fine individual actors do not a great Romeo and Juliet make. What matters is the chemistry between them too. A great Romeo and Juliet is marked not just by brilliant storytelling and clarity, but also by its ability to make the audience really root for the protagonists and fall a little bit in love with both of them. It’s got to be sexually charged and dangerous because otherwise, as millions of young people forced to study it at school have discovered, it can be a wee bit dull. But dull is unlikely to be a problem here. Why? Because it is directed by Robert Icke, who recently directed Player Kings with Sir Ian McKellen in the West End and also directed Andrew Scott in Hamlet. Unlike some British directors, Icke genuinely seems to love Shakespeare, and because he loves it, he makes audiences love it too. 

London theatre fans have reason to celebrate: Sadie Sink (Stranger Things, John Proctor Is The Villain) and Noah Jupe (A Quiet Place, Hamnet) are set to make their West End debuts together in Shakespeare’s Romeo & Juliet. The production will open at the Harold Pinter Theatre on 16 March 2026 for a strictly limited 12-week run. Star-Studded Cast Sadie Sink, known for her breakout role as Max in Stranger Things and her Tony-nominated performance in John Proctor Is The Villain, said: “I’ve always dreamed about doing a show in the West End. To do that in one of Shakespeare’s most famous plays under Rob's direction with Noah is such an exciting challenge.” Noah Jupe, who recently wowed audiences in Hamnet and A Quiet Place, will also make his stage debut. He described the project as: “An opportunity you simply cannot turn down.”

The Kenneth Branagh Theatre Company today sadly announced that due to medical advice, Richard Madden will not be returning to the company of Romeo and Juliet before the production completes its run on 13 August. Richard Madden injured his ankle last month whilst running and has been receiving physiotherapy since. However, although Richard is expected to make a full recovery, the injury to Richard’s ankle has not healed as quickly as hoped, and as a result his doctors have prescribed further rest which makes it impossible for him to return to the stage before the production closes.

Kenneth Branagh Theatre Company today announced that Freddie Fox will be joining the company of Romeo and Juliet, sharing the role of Romeo with Richard Madden. This is to allow Richard Madden sufficient time for his injured ankle to continue to heal and because his doctors have prescribed rest between performances. 

Derek Jacobi will play Mercutio opposite Lily James as Juliet and Richard Madden as Romeo in the Kenneth Branagh Theatre Company production of Romeo and Juliet at the Garrick Theatre. The production will run from 12 May 2016 until 13 August 2016.

Two Dames, gorgeous gowns and a sing-along – A new panto? No, I’m talking about the Olivier Awards. After a glittering evening, the winners are in and what an exciting evening it was at the annual Olivier Awards.