Sigourney Weaver Cast As One Of Shakespeare’s Most Infamous Characters

In an interview with Deadline, director Jamie Lloyd reveals that the decision to reach out to Sigourney Weaver came to him in an epiphany. He thought that she would bring something new and something electric to the adaptation. Though it has been 30 years since the actress performed Shakespeare publicly, Sigourney Weaver jumped at the opportunity to be the face of Lloyd’s revival of The Tempest.

The Tempest is largely regarded as a tragicomedy, often just called a Shakespearean comedy, and is suspected to be one of the last plays Shakespeare wrote alone.

It tells a tale of magic, betrayal, and redemption as exiled Duke and sorcerer, Prospero, enacts a plan to take revenge on his foes and restore his lost title. Tangled romances, entrapped spirits, shipwrecks, and goddesses are woven throughout the plot, ensuring that The Tempest has something for everyone.

Along with The Tempest, starring Sigourney Weaver, some of Shakespeare’s other popular works will be showcased at the Theater Royal Drury Lane.

Much Ado About Nothing, the famous five-act comedy, will also be showing. Loki’s Tom Hiddleston and Agent Carter’s Hayley Atwell will play the quarreling lovers, Benedick and Beatrice.

While Sigourney Weaver is best known for starring in Ridley Scott’s Alien, she is no stranger to more classical works. During her sophomore year at Stanford, she played King Lear’s eldest daughter, Goneril, in William Shakespeare’s tragedy King Lear.

She would later go on to join the cast of the 1986 Off-Broadway revival of The Merchant of Venice, in which she played the female protagonist, Portia. The actress even once committed that playing Ripley in Alien was her personal Henry V.

The Tempest, starring Sigourney Weaver, will begin its previews on December 7 and is set to run all the way through February 1. Much Ado About Nothing will begin its premiere shortly after The Tempest’s closing night.

Apparently, the Jamie Lloyd Company spent over $77 million in renovations to ensure that these performances could take place at the Theater Royal Drury Lane. These revivals mark the return of Shakespeare to the legendary theater, which it hasn’t seen since Peter Brook staged The Tempest in 1957.

For fans of Sigourney Weaver who have only seen her perform on the silver screen, her stage performance of The Tempest will surely blow you away. In the interview with Deadline, Jamie Lloyd commented on his unexpected casting decision, “Sigourney knows her Shakespeare, she knows theater, and I could not be more excited that she has agreed to play this role.”

Tickets for The Tempest are not currently on sale, but on the official Jamie Lloyd Company website, eager audiences can sign up for priority access. We can expect to hear more about Sigourney Weaver’s performance once previews begin, and fans cross their fingers that the reviews will be raving. Until then, we can only wish her the best on her West End debut.

Source: Deadline