Sigourney Weaver, Tom Hiddleston, and Hayley Atwell to star in Jamie Lloyd Shakespeare season

The two productions mark the first Shakespeare plays to be presented at Theatre Royal Drury Lane since Peter Brook’s production of The Tempest starring John Gielgud in 1957.

Sigourney Weaver, Tom Hiddleston, and Hayley Atwell will star in a season of Shakespeare at the Theatre Royal Drury Lane in the West End, directed by Jamie Lloyd.

BAFTA winner Sigourney Weaver will make her West End debut as Prospero in The Tempest, while Tom Hiddleston will star as Benedick and Hayley Atwell as Beatrice in Much Ado About Nothing. The two productions mark the first Shakespeare plays to be presented at the venue since Peter Brook’s production of The Tempest starring John Gielgud in 1957.

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!”

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. It’s an honour to have been invited by Andrew Lloyd Webber to bring Shakespeare back to the Theatre Royal Drury Lane, in a season alongside Sigourney Weaver in The Tempest, and to be working with the great Hayley Atwell for the first time.”

Hayley Atwell said: “I am thrilled to be joining Jamie Lloyd’s company for the third time in my career. His bold and electric direction, combined with the warmth and wit of one of Shakespeare’s most celebrated comedic duos is a truly exciting opportunity and one that I hope will delight our audiences. I look forward to working with my talented friend Tom Hiddleston and bringing The Bard back to Theatre Royal Drury Lane.”

Jamie Lloyd added: “It is such an honour to be invited by Andrew Lloyd Webber to be the first company to present Shakespeare at the Theatre Royal Drury Lane in decades. 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.”

Andrew Lloyd Webber, who owns the theatre, has previously spoken about his desire to see Shakespeare performed in the venue. He commented: “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.”

Full cast and creatives are to be announced.

The Tempest opens on Thursday 19 December, with previews from 7 December, running until 1 February 2025, and Much Ado About Nothing opens Wednesday 19 February, with previews from 10 February, running until 5 April 2025.

Check back for The Tempest and Much Ado About Nothing tickets on London Theatre.

Photo credit: Sigourney Weaver, Tom Hiddleston, and Hayley Atwell. (Photos by Andrew H. Walker, Variety, REX, Shutterstock, Steve Schofield, Faye Thomas)