Sigourney Weaver is to take the part of Prospero in the West End in an all star season of Shakespeare.
Also appearing are Tom Hiddleston and Hayley Atwell, who will take the roles of Benedict and Beatrice in a production of Much Ado About Nothing.
The Tempest will run at the Theatre Royal Drury Lane from December to February, while Much Ado will open in February 2025 and run until April.
Sigourney Weaver said: “I am delighted to be making my West End debut in Shakespeare’s The Tempest directed by the brilliant Jamie Lloyd – and to do so in Andrew Lloyd Webber’s beautiful and historic Theatre Royal Drury Lane is an extraordinary opportunity. Come and see us!”
Both productions will be directed by Jamie Lloyd and are the first Shakespeare works to be presented at the theatre since Peter Brook’s Tempest in 1957.
Jamie Lloyd said: ” I could not be more thrilled to welcome three-time Academy Award nominated and BAFTA and Golden Globe winning actress, Sigourney Weaver — an international icon of stage and screen — to London. Then to collaborate again with two of the greatest actors of their generation — Tom Hiddleston and Hayley Atwell — on one of Shakespeare’s wittiest and most tender comedies is a dream come true.”
Tom Hiddleston said, “Working with Jamie Lloyd on Harold Pinter’s Betrayal was one of the most fulfilling and meaningful experiences of my performing life. I could not be more thrilled to have been given the opportunity to collaborate with him again, this time on one of Shakespeare’s most warm-hearted and joyful plays: Much Ado About Nothing.”
The Theatre Royal Drury Lane is owned by Andrew Lloyd Webber’s LW theatres. The theatre impressario said it had been a long held dream to stage a new production of Shakespeare’s works.
He said: “When I was nine years old I was taken to the Theatre Royal Drury Lane to see Peter Brook’s legendary production of The Tempest with John Gielgud as Prospero. It made a profound impression on me. At the final performance Gielgud broke Prospero’s staff and pronounced that Shakespeare would never again be performed at the Theatre Royal as it would be “lost to musicals.
“Ever since I owned the Theatre Royal I have been determined to prove him wrong. It is therefore a massive joy that Jamie Lloyd is bringing back Shakespeare to the Lane and even more wonderful that the first of two Shakespeare plays will be The Tempest.”
Tickets for The Tempest go on sale to those signed up for priority booking on Tuesday 6 August at 11am; general booking opens on Wednesday 7 August at 11am. On sale dates for Much Ado About Nothing to be announced.
Sign up for priority booking and more information here: thejamielloydcompany.com or lwtheatres.co.uk.
