Tony and Olivier Award-winning director Jamie Lloyd has announced that Tom Hiddleston and Hayley Atwell will reprise their performances as Benedick and Beatrice in William Shakespeare’s MUCH ADO ABOUT NOTHING on Broadway in fall 2026. The production will play for 10 weeks only at a Shubert theater to be announced.
Lloyd’s staging, which previously ran at the Theatre Royal Drury Lane in London’s West End, received critical acclaim and multiple award nominations. The production was nominated for four Standard Theatre Awards and four Critics’ Circle Awards, including Best Director for Lloyd and Best Shakespearean Performance for both Hiddleston and Atwell.
Check out photos of the London production here.
Hiddleston previously collaborated with Lloyd on Harold Pinter’s Betrayal, which transferred from London to Broadway in 2019 and earned Hiddleston a Tony Award nomination. Atwell will make her Broadway debut in MUCH ADO ABOUT NOTHING; she previously appeared in Lloyd’s London production of The Pride and has received three Olivier Award nominations.
Lloyd said “Working with both Tom and Hayley again on Much Ado About Nothing at the Drury Lane was exhilarating. The chemistry between the two of them was palpable from the first rehearsal and I could sense it was a magical pairing for the ages. It’s an honor to bring their joyous performances in Shakespeare’s beloved comedy to Broadway this fall.”
Hiddleston said, “For as long as I can remember, I have always wanted to play ‘Benedick’ in Much Ado About Nothing. Working with Jamie Lloyd and Hayley Atwell on Shakespeare’s most warm-hearted play has been one of the most fulfilling experiences of my performing life. I could not be more thrilled to bring this jubilant and joyous production to Broadway. Jamie Lloyd has anchored Shakespeare’s profoundly romantic poetry and comedy at the heart of this production, and decorated the play with music, dancing, love, and laughter. It’s an honor to have been invited back to the stage in New York”.
Atwell said, “After 20 years on the stages of London’s West End, it is a huge honor for me to be invited to make my Broadway debut playing ‘Beatrice’ in this electric production of Much Ado About Nothing. We’re thrilled new audiences will experience this story through Jamie’s innovative direction. This is a modern celebration of universal themes.”
The Broadway production is produced by The Jamie Lloyd Company, with 101 Productions, Ltd. serving as general managers. Additional details including theater, performance dates, ticketing, and creative team will be announced.
