Sigourney Weaver will make her West End debut as Prospero in a new production of The Tempest, while Tom Hiddleston and Hayley Atwell will star in Much Ado About Nothing, it has been announced.
The two plays will be part of a season of Shakespeare by The Jamie Lloyd Company at the Theatre Royal Drury Lane.
They will be the first plays by the Bard to be staged at the theatre since Peter Brook's production of The Tempest starring John Gielgud in 1957.
They will both be directed by Lloyd, who is currently staging Romeo And Juliet, starring Marvel actor Tom Holland and Francesca Amewudah-Rivers in the title roles, in the capital.
Alien actress Weaver, 74, will play the storm-creating magician Prospero in the new staging of the Shakespeare classic The Tempest, in a role typically played by a man.
The production will open on 19 December, with previews from 7 December, and run until 1 February 2025.
She 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!"
Hiddleston and Atwell will play sparring enemies-to-lovers Benedick and Beatrice in Much Ado About Nothing, which will open on 19 February, with previews from 10 February, and running until 5 April 2025.
Loki star 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."
Captain America actress Atwell added: "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."
Tickets for both shows will be available for under 30s, key workers and those receiving government benefits for £25, as part of the company’s commitment to accessibility.
Andrew Lloyd Webber, who owns the theatre, 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 6 August at 11am; general booking opens on 7 August at 11am. Ticket sale dates for Much Ado About Nothing are yet to be announced.
Source: Press Association
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