Tom Holland fans last night revealed the extreme lengths they went to in order to catch the briefest of glimpses of the star.
Crowds of supporters from as far afield as France and even Canada gathered outside the theatre as Holland-fever swept the capital, with others travelling hours across the country to see him.
Many didn’t even have tickets for his opening night performance in Romeo and Juliet, which has had mixed reviews from critics in recent days, but rather were just waiting patiently for a five-second look at the Spider-Man star.
Holland waved and thanked onlookers as he stepped out of his car at the Duke of York Theatre on Friday, to the sound of cheers and screams.
Among those gathered were Marie, 18, and her friend Lila, 19, who took a nine-hour coach from Paris earlier this week.
The pair booked a hotel for three nights and have queued up outside the theatre every day just to catch a glimpse of the actor.
Fans wait for the arrival of Tom Holland outside the Duke of York’s Theatre on May 24
Tom Holland, 27, waves at fans waiting outside the theatre as he arrives for the show on May 24
Natalie, 19, and Anita, 49, bought pre-sale tickets to watch Tom Holland in Romeo and Juliet
Fans wait for Tom Holland outside the theatre after his performance on May 24
Tom waves to eager fans after his performance as Romeo
Helen and Grace, 21, queue up to watch the performance of Romeo and Juliet on May 24
Marie told MailOnline: ‘Yesterday we saw him, just his back but we came to see him again today.’
‘When we see him I don’t think we’ll be able to talk to him cause he’s too far away and he runs into the theatre but as long as we get to see him we are happy.’
However TC, a 26-year-old event planner, who waited an hour to watch Holland rush into the theatre, was gearing up to watch the performance from the third row of the stalls.
She said: ‘It’s just exciting. I love theatre and Tom Holland so this is my dream.
‘I got the ticket on presale for £95. I had my work phone, laptop, personal phone and as many tabs open as I could.’
In February more than 60,000 frenzied fans, including TC, scrambled to buy tickets for Holland’s West End run.
Tickets sold out in two hours.
Some compared the stress of trying to get their hands on tickets as on par with Taylor Swift ‘s Eras tour, which has brought in $1.04billion with 4.35m tickets sold across 60 tour dates.
Tickets for Romeo and Juliet are now on resale for around £300 each.
The actor, wearing a plain white t-shirt and jeans, waves to his adoring fans after leaving the theatre
Tom, 27, looks grateful for his fans as he gets into a silver car after his West End performance
Tom Holland, 27, stars as Romeo in the Jamie Lloyd production alongside Francesca Amewudah-Rivers as Juliet
Serena, 23, and Yasmine, 22, were not lucky enough to secure tickets in the initial sale.
But as part of their trip to London from Toronto, the pair decided to queue up outside the theatre to see if they could get any tickets that had been returned.
Security guards had cordoned these die-hard fans off in a separate line.
Serena said: ‘I think the most I would be willing to pay for the returned tickets would be £250 per ticket and only because it’s Tom Holland and the fact that Zendaya is probably here too.’
The Canadians were later let down when no spare tickets became available but they stubbornly announced they would try again tomorrow.
Romeo and Juliet, starring Tom Holland, will run at the Duke of York’s Theatre until August 3
Tom Holland interacts with the huge crowd of fans waiting outside the Duke of York Theatre after the first preview of Romeo and Juliet on May 13 as he gets in a car to leave the venue
Adoring fans cheer and snap photographs of the actor as he gets into a car following his debut performance of Romeo & Juliet
Although she already had a ticket sorted, another self-proclaimed ‘big Tom Holland fan’ said she would not hesitate to pay up to £300.
Grace, 21, said: ‘It’s my birthday today. I signed up for Tom Holland’s website presale. I waited for over an hour and I just managed to get the tickets.
‘I’m only coming to see Tom Holland, if he weren’t in it, I wouldn’t be here.’
Her mother Helen got out her phone to show off pictures Grace drew of both the Spider-Man star and his A-list girlfriend Zendaya.
Helen, who seemed to be equally as fond of Holland, said: ‘I read Romeo and Juliet at school but it’s a different twist now because he’s in it.’
Another mother daughter pairing were lined up to watch the show.
Natalie, 19, said: ‘We travelled six hours by coach and paid £95 per ticket.’
Her mother Anita, 49, added: ‘Most people know Tom Holland from the Marvel universe but we have loved him since he was little and in The Impossible. He’s a great actor.’
After weeks of preview performances plagued by cancellations, Romeo and Juliet officially opened its doors to the press on May 23.
That evening Holland, 27, was pictured walking hand in hand with Zendaya, 27, to greet the hoards of fans waiting outside the theatre.
But the allure of spotting the Spider-Man star has since faded for staff working at the surrounding hotels, cafes and restaurants.
Luann, 27, who works at the Hub by Premier Inn next to the theatre, said: ‘I’ve seen Tom Holland so often that I’m bored of seeing him now.’
‘Most of our guests aren’t here for the show so it’s chaos on the streets and quiet in here.’
He added: ‘The roads were closed yesterday because of the premiere but that was fine cause we hosted them. I saw Zendaya, Stormzy and Maya Jama.’
After press night on May 23 Tom Holland walks hand in hand with Zendaya, 27, to greet the crowd of adoring fans
Tom Holland and Zendaya cemented their place as Hollywood’s favourite power couple 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
Nina, a waitress at Cafe La Rouche directly across from the Duke of York’s Theatre, had a less glowing review of press night.
She said: ‘All the street was blocked because people were waiting to see celebrities. There are more people outside but less people coming in.
‘Tom Holland’s fans are young people and they don’t spend lots of money. It is so loud because of the young girls but they don’t have the money to spend on us.’
Romeo and Juliet will be at the Duke of York’s Theatre until August 3 before it will reportedly transfer to Broadway later this year.
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
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