Sigourney Weaver was eight the last time Shakespeare was performed at Theatre Royal Drury Lane, when the late Peter Brook directed John Gielgud in ‘The Tempest’ in 1957. A lot has happened to both Weaver and the theatre since then, but at the age of 75 the star of the ‘Alien’, ‘Ghostbusters’ and ‘Avatar’ films will make her UK stage debut in the first Shakespeare play to be staged at the venerable theatre for over half a century.
It’s ‘The Tempest’ (again), with Weaver taking on the role of exiled magician Prospero in Jamie Lloyd’s revival, the first of two starry Shakespeares he’s directing there (the other, ‘Much Ado About Nothing’ starring Tom Hiddleston and Hayley Atwell, will follow next year). She’ll be joined by a cast of Jude Akuwudike (Alonso), Jason Barnett (Stephano), Selina Cadell (Gonzalo), Mathew Horne (Trinculo), Mara Huf (Miranda), Forbes Masson (Caliban), Mason Alexander Park (Ariel), James Phoon (Ferdinand), Oliver Ryan (Sebastian) and Tim Steed (Antonio).
Lloyd’s last couple of shows have made heavy use of live video and found spaces throughout the theatre, of which there would seem to be many at Drury Lane, though there appears to not be any camera operators billed. Design will be from Soutra Gilmour, who designs pretty much everything Lloyd does.
