Who is the girl that plays in Romeo and Juliet?

Answer 1

There have been thousands upon thousands of productions of Romeo and Juliet since the 1660's when the part of Juliet started to be played by a girl. Which one of those thousands of actresses would you like to hear about?

Answer 2

There will be debate about this surely. At least we need only consider female actresses, so male actresses are out of the running. Here's a list:

1. Peggy Ashcroft, one of the great actresses of all time, played Juliet opposite Laurence Olivier and John Gielgud on opposite nights in 1935. This is possibly the most famous production of the play ever.

2. Susan Cushman, an American actress who played Juliet to her sister Charlotte's Romeo for 85 performances in 1845. This production, although Charlotte's performance was more commented on than Susan's, went a long way toward restoring Shakespeare's original play from the strange eighteenth-century adaptations then in vogue.

3. Fanny Kemble debuted as Juliet at the Covent Garden Theatre on October 26, 1829. Her performance was so successful it not only established her career, but also saved the theatre from financial ruin.

4. Olivia Hussey, whose appearance in Zeffirelli's film in 1968 at the age of 15 closed the door on the idea of more mature actresses playing the part. Thereafter Juliet became a debut role for actresses. Interestingly, Dame Judi Dench played Juliet in Zeffirelli's stage production of the play in 1960 at the age of 26, but her performance did not have the impact of Hussey's.

5. Ellen Terry, who started the trend Hussey ended by playing Juliet opposite Henry Irving when she was 35 in 1882.

These were probably the five most influencial portrayals of Juliet over the years. Whether that makes them the "best" is purely personal taste.