Sigourney Weaver, Tom Hiddleston and Hayley Atwell to Star in Back-to-Back Shakespeare Productions in London

Tony and Oscar nominee Sigourney Weaver and Tony and Emmy nominee Tom Hiddleston will separately star in two back-to-back Shakespeare productions directed by Jamie Lloyd in London.

Weaver will make her West End debut as Prospero in The Tempest, while Hiddleston will play Benedick, opposite Olivier nominee Hayley Atwell as Beatrice, in Much Ado About Nothing. The Tempest will begin performances at the Theatre Royal Drury Lane on December 7 with an official opening of December 19, running through February 1, 2025. Much Ado About Nothing begins performances on February 10 with an official opening of February 19, running through April 5.

Weaver said in a statement, “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!”

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.”

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.”

The productions will be the first Shakespeare plays to be presented at the venue—owned and operated by Andrew Lloyd Webber’s LW Theatres—since Peter Brook’s production of The Tempest starring John Gielgud in 1957. Lloyd Webber, who attended that production as a nine year old, said in a statement, “[That production] 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.”

Lloyd’s production of Lloyd Webber's Sunset Boulevard, starring Nicole Scherzinger, is set to open on Broadway in October.