EXCLUSIVE: Sigourney Weaver will make her West Finish stage debut as storm-creating sorcerer Prospero in The Tempest and Tom Hiddleston and Hayley Atwell will play sparring lovers Benedick and Beatrice in A lot Ado About Nothing when director Jamie Lloyd returns Shakespeare early this winter to the historic Theatre Royal Drury Lane, a landmark venue in Covent Backyard owned by Andrew Lloyd Webber.
Weaver, star of Ridley Scott’s Alien films and James Cameron’s Avatar epics, final starred in one in every of Will’s performs when she performed Portia in a 1986 off-Broadway revival of The Service provider of Venice.
As a sophomore at Stanford in 1979, she performed Goneril in a touring manufacturing of King Lear.
The star as soon as revealed that she pretended “I used to be doing Henry V all the time” she was enjoying Ripley in Alien. “I assumed, ‘Properly, as a girl, I’ll by no means be solid as Henry V, so that is my Henry V,” Weaver instructed New York journal in a 2012 interview.
“Sigourney is aware of her Shakespeare, she is aware of theater, and I couldn’t be extra excited that she has agreed to play this position,“ Lloyd instructed Deadline.
He additionally mentioned that he’s “thrilled” that “my expensive mates Tom and Hayley” are headlining the romantic comedy A lot Ado About Nothing in his Jamie Lloyd Firm Drury Lane Shakespeare season.
The primary preview of The Tempest is December 7, and it runs by way of February 1.
The first A lot Ado About Nothing preview is on February 10, and that runs till April 5.
In-built 1763, the Theatre Royal Drury Lane grew to become a preferred venue for performances of Shakespeare. David Garrick and the traditional thespian greats performed the Bard’s work there.
Lloyd Webber and his LW Theatre firm spent an estimated $77M on a perfectly realized restoration of the Theatre Royal Drury Lane, and he’d famous a number of instances that he wished Shakespeare again at The Lane, because it’s affectionately identified, as a result of he fondly remembers at age 9 being taken to see Gielgud in The Tempest “and it clearly made an impression on him,” mentioned Lloyd.
The 2 males shaped a detailed bond after they labored collectively on the now-Broadway-bound Olivier Award-winning Sundown Boulevard starring an incandescent Nicole Scherzinger as Norma Desmond.
“Andrew instructed me the story about Gielgud snapping Prospero’s workers on the final evening and saying that The Lane could be misplaced to musicals perpetually,” the director mentioned.
Oklahoma! and different reveals had preceded The Tempest, and it was to be instantly adopted by My Truthful Woman and plenty of different musicals since.
At some point, unexpectedly, the composer and impresario instructed Lloyd ,”Look, I’ve at all times wished Shakespeare again at Drury Lane.”
Lloyd was proven across the theatre, was open to exploring “all the chances” and felt excited to be the primary firm to deliver Shakespeare again to The Lane.
Jamie Lloyd in London (Baz Bamigboye/Deadline)
It made sense that The Tempest wanted to be the one which marked the return.
Lloyd instructed us that he had an epiphany one evening that Sigourney Weaver enjoying Prospero would “create theatrical electrical energy.”
He fired off an e-mail Weaver’s agent, who responded that it was unlikely that she’d wish to have interaction as a result of Weaver hadn’t carried out Shakespeare in public for over 30 years, and the final time she was on a stage was when she did Christopher Durang’s Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike in NYC in 2012.
The very subsequent morning, Lloyd continued, ”There was an e-mail in my inbox with the topic, “Good day from Sigourney.” And he or she wrote me this wonderful e-mail — actually passionate, excited e-mail. We obtained on Zoom immediately, and we had a tremendous, inspiring dialog. She’s such a beautiful, witty individual. So insightful. She’d learn the play, particularly from a perspective of a girl enjoying Prospero. And that actually excited her and it made sense and illuminated the play in new methods. And so she’s coming to make her West Finish debut at Drury Lane enjoying Prospero in The Tempest.”
He added that he stored coming again to Weaver’s performances “in all these iconic films — Ghostbusters, Gorillas within the Mist, Working Woman, all of them.”
Lloyd went a bit of bit fanboy and instructed her that he’d seen “Alien extra instances than another film. And I simply thought, ‘How wonderful would it not be to work with somebody that you simply’ve admired because you had been a child?’ Oh, wow. And to deliver her to London. And once more, it simply seems like such an occasion.”
The director believes that Weaver’s “commanding presence, big charisma and that incredible energy” is ideal to play Prospero. And that she will be able to “clearly get into the complexity of the position” of this individual “with delusions of vengeance, this type of ruthless revenge towards the those who have despatched her away, to studying about forgiveness and love and compassion. There’s an actual journey in that, isn’t there? And there’s an actual inside battle. And we talked about how a shipwreck can turn out to be a brand new sort of hope. Can’t there? I imply, actually, that’s my kind of key eager about all the season, is that I simply need this to be a extremely joyful season. And each of the performs are in regards to the hope of the long run and never dwelling on the previous, possibly,“ he mentioned.
Lloyd added that he felt “honored” that Weaver even responded to his e-mail as a result of he thought “it bode so properly by way of only a direct e-mail immediately; it’s very private. As we all know, generally folks sort of do issues by way of their groups and managers. However truly, she is aware of what theater is, and he or she is aware of it’s about relationships.”
Sigourney Weaver
Ilya S. Savenok/Getty Photographs
Lloyd’s properly conscious of that too.
He goes manner again with Hiddleston, even additional with Atwell.
Again in early 2019, Lloyd directed a hauntingly elegant model of Harold Pinter’s Betrayal with Hiddleston, Zawe Ashton and Charlie Cox on the Harold Pinter Theatre. It rapidly transferred to the Bernard B. Jacobs Theatre for a restricted run, the place it was nominated for 4 Tony Awards.
Tom Hiddleston and Zawe Ashton (Baz Bamigboye/Deadline)
Lloyd has remained near his solid ever since.
Equally with Atwell, who he directed in Alexi Kaye Campbell’s 2011 play The Religion Machine at London’s Royal Courtroom Theatre. They reunited two years later in a revival of Kaye’s The Delight, during which Atwell excelled, on the Trafalgar Studios. The drama was an early instance of Lloyd’s then-nascent Jamie Lloyd Firm, which on the time was in partnership with ATG Leisure.
He added that it’s “very significant” by way of the season for him to be working with “these two outdated collaborators, they’re Jamie Lloyd Firm alumni. And I believe they’re each two of the best of our era, aren’t they? They usually know one another properly. So there’s an on the spot chemistry between the 2 of them, and I can’t wait to see what they give you for Benedick and Beatrice.”
Hayley Atwell (Faye Thomas)
Lloyd’s loved watching Hiddleston and Atwell on screens each huge and small. He talked about Hiddleston’s efficiency in The Night time Supervisor — he’s within the midst of capturing its sequel — and the actor’s adventures enjoying Loki within the numerous ranges of the Marvel Universe. “And he nonetheless comes dwelling to the theatre at any time when he can,” Lloyd marveled.
Atwell soared within the Marvel Universe as properly, plus she has been starring with Tom Cruise in Mission: Not possible – Useless Reckoning, Half One and its follow-up Mission: Not possible 8. She was exceptional in a a revival of Rosmersholm, directed by Ian Rickson on the Duke of York’s in 2019, the 12 months earlier than she performed Isabel for director Josie Rourke in Measure for Measure on the Donmar Warehouse.
“So she’s the actual deal,” Lloyd declared. “Each are, they usually’re additionally each very witty folks. … They’ve obtained this nice intelligence, this nice wit,” Lloyd noticed, good qualities for A lot Ado About Nothing, which he referred to as “a joyful play.”
Though he complained that he has seen it performed a contact too “broad.”
He mentioned that it doesn’t must be performed at a “slapstick tempo” to be enjoyable. “The language in its personal proper is humorous. I believe they’ll be wonderful sparring companions but additionally trace at that sort of tenderness underneath the floor.”
Each productions of The Tempest and A lot Ado About Nothing will probably be stripped again, and he’ll ponder with frequent collaborator Soutra Gilmour on how the reveals will feel and look.
There’s a shipwreck in The Tempest, however Lloyd received’t reveal whether or not he’s tempted or to not place one on the Drury Lane’s boards.
Nevertheless, in contrast to his Sundown Boulevard and Romeo and Juliet productions, he received’t be utilizing video as a part of the efficiency for the Drury Lane reveals.
“They’ll be stripped down, however no video. I’m saving all of the video vitality for Sundown Boulevard on Broadway,” he defined.
The 2 Shakespeares will run between Disney’s Frozen, which closes September 8, and musical Hercules, which begins performances in summer time 2025.
“That’s why the Shakespeare season is a strictly restricted whole of 16 weeks,” mentioned Lloyd. He added that there have been no discussions in regards to the performs being captured by the Nationwide Theatre’s NT Reside cameras, nor has there been speak of transferring to Broadway.
“I at all times simply make one thing for the theatre during which it’s meant to be carried out, after which we see the after that,” Lloyd mentioned throughout a dialog on the Jamie Lloyd Firm workplaces situated in a wing of Somerset Home on the Strand, actually a stone’s throw from the Drury Lane.
We first touched base about the potential for Shakespeare at Drury Lane late final 12 months and have stored speaking, on and off, since.
Every kind of names had been bandied about by just a few within the know. “Tom Hanks,” somebody gleefully instructed me. Improper Tom, outdated boy.
“Margot Robbie,” one other boasted.
“It’s so humorous. I’ve heard these names, “ mentioned Lloyd, “however no, not true. I imply, I’d like to work with Margot Robbie on a play. I believe she’s exceptional, isn’t she? And he or she got here to see A Doll’s Home that we did with Jessica Chastain. And that might be a dream come true to work together with her.”
Nevertheless, he revealed that he had spoken to Robbie “a few instances” however “not” about Shakespeare.
“I believe, as I say, in the future, she’d wish to discover the thought of doing a play, however let’s see what occurs,” he cautioned.
Lloyd quickly heads again to New York to start rehearsals for Sundown Boulevard.
He and Weaver plan to fulfill up whereas he’s there to debate her Prospero. He famous that the title received’t swap gender to Prospera as occurred with Julie Taymor’s 2010 movie of The Tempest, the place the revengeful noble magician was performed by Helen Mirren.
“It would stay Prospero,” Lloyd insisted.
Rehearsals for The Tempest will start in London on October 28, “actually per week after we open Sundown on Broadway,” Lloyd mentioned.
His Jamie Lloyd Firm will produce the season alone with out the participation of ATG Leisure.
The 16-week Shakespeare season will function 25,000 tickets for £25 [US$32] they usually’ll be “ring-fenced solely” for under-30s, key employees and people receiving authorities advantages. He mentioned that he’s “properly conscious” that previously wealthier folks who can afford to pay steeper costs have taken unfair benefit and wolfed up specifically priced cheaper seats.
“These are good seats too,” he beamed. However they may introduce new strategies to make sure a budget seats go to the “proper folks.”
Theatre Royal Drury Lane (Baz Bamigboye/Deadline)
Engaged on The Tempest at Drury Lane will kind of full a circle of coincidence for Weaver.
She’ll be taking over a job final carried out there by Gielgud.
Her first Broadway credit score in 1975 was to work on a revival of W. Somerset Maugham’s The Fixed Spouse, starring Ingrid Bergman.
Weaver labored as an assistant stage supervisor and understudy.
The manufacturing was directed by John Gielgud.
