Lord of the Rings star Orlando Bloom has been praised for “a first-rate Broadway debut” in Romeo and Juliet, but the production itself has received mixed reviews.
The modern take on Shakespeare’s play “packs Hollywood star power but lacks emotional fireworks” according to New York Daily News.
Broadway World’s Michael Dale called the staging “soggy” and “gimmicky”.
Bloom stars opposite “gifted” rising Broadway star Condola Rashad as Juliet.
The pair are “sweet together” according to Tom Wicker writing in The Daily Telegraph, who continued: “But their relationship lacks the spark that would make the tragedy of their situation really blaze”.
He said director David Leveaux’s production “has its flaws” but was still an “enjoyable, energetic romp through Shakespeare”.
Many critics commented that Bloom, 36, should be “too old” to play Romeo, however most admitted he had pulled it off.
“His boyish prettiness serves the role well, and his early classical training is evident in the ease and conviction he brings to the language,” wrote David Rooney in The Hollywood Reporter.
