Jamie Lloyd to direct Sigourney Weaver, Tom Hiddleston and Hayley Atwell
Updated on 2 August 2024
Jamie Lloyd’s year is set to get even busier. The multi award-winning director is set to direct A-listers Sigourney Weaver, Tom Hiddleston and Hayley Atwell in a bumper season of Shakespeare shows at the Theatre Royal Drury Lane. Tickets will become available shortly and are expected to be in extremely high demand. Check out our guide to the best seats at the Theatre Royal Drury Lane so you’re not wasting precious time choosing your seats when they’re released!
The visionary director picked up the award for Best Director at the 2024 Olivier Awards for his radical rework of Sunset Boulevard. The monochrome musical went on to pick up a further six awards, including Best Musical Revival. The show is currently getting ready for its close up, opening on Broadway on the 28th September.
Not content with one colossal hit, Lloyd went straight into directing Tom Holland and Francesca Amewudah-Rivers in Romeo & Juliet. The show, currently playing at the Duke of York’s Theatre, had 60,000 people glued to their phones as they tried to secure tickets for the show. Those who were able to grab a ticket weren’t left disappointed, as the play received countless 5-star reviews and critical acclaim.
Now, Lloyd’s next project(s) have been confirmed. Sci-Fi legend and Oscar nominee, Sigourney Weaver (Alien, Avatar) will make her West End debut as Prospero in a new production of The Tempest. The play will open at the Theatre Royal Drury Lane on 7 December 2024 and will run through to 1 February 2025.
The Tempest will be followed by Much Ado About Nothing. The hilarious tale of mistaken identities sees Marvel stars Tom Hiddleston (Loki) and Hayley Atwell (Captain America: The First Avenger) play sparring lovers Benedick and Beatrice. The production will run from 10 February to 5 April 2025.
Commenting on the season Lloyd said: “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, owner of the venue, added: “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.”
Hiddleston added: “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.”
Atwell agreed, adding: “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.”
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