Stranger Things star Sadie Sink will make her London West End stage debut next spring, taking on the role of Juliet in a new production of Romeo & Juliet, directed by acclaimed filmmaker and theater director Robert Icke. The production begins performances at the Harold Pinter Theatre on March 16 for a limited 12-week run through June 6.
Noah Jupe (A Quiet Place, Le Mans ’66), who portrays Hamlet in Chloé Zhao’s upcoming Hamnet, has been cast as Romeo. The project marks Jupe’s professional theater debut.
Producer James Bierman, whose Empire Productions staged Prima Facie, shared that he first noticed Sink after watching her in John Proctor Is the Villain in New York. “And thought she was fantastic.” He added, she “has real, great stage presence and obviously has grown up on stage.”
Bierman described Sink’s first meeting with Icke: “And then she just threw herself in and did some workshop sessions with Rob, working on the language and text. And it grew organically from there really … this was the play, this was the role for her.” He noted that timing and venue availability aligned perfectly: “We’re just very fortunate that the stars have aligned … with the Harold Pinter Theatre being free.”
The production reunites Icke with Shakespeare’s tragedy, which he first directed in 2012. Bierman says Icke has “unfinished business” with the text and is exploring the story “through the prism of time and time running out.” He adds, “potentially, if it didn’t move so quickly, they wouldn’t have the outcome they have.”
Sink, well known for playing Max Mayfield in Stranger Things, has long roots in theater, debuting at age 10 in Annie on Broadway and later performing in Peter Morgan’s The Audience. Her stage career has accelerated this year with a Tony Award nomination for John Proctor Is the Villain.
She is currently filming Spider-Man: Brand New Day, due for release on July 31, and is also expected to join the cast of the next Avengers film shooting in London in 2026.
Bierman emphasized the creative approach to Juliet: “Juliet as a character has a lot of agency in it, and there’s a lot more of an active journey for her that sometimes doesn’t come out.” He continued, “She’s realizing that maybe that’s not her fate … And then enter Romeo.”
Icke has been preparing the production remotely, working with Sink and Jupe via Zoom until rehearsals begin in late January. The creative team includes set and costume designer Hildegard Bechtler, lighting designer Jon Clark, sound designer Tom Gibbons, and video designer Ash J. Woodward. Casting directors Julia Horan and Jim Carnahan will complete the remaining ensemble.
Source: Deadline