The actor is well-known for this films, but he’s also a respected stage actor. We take a look at his top theatre turns over the years as he prepares for a starring role in Much Ado About Nothing…
Last updated: 07/08/2024 at 11:00am
Tom Hiddleston’s Shakespeare performances have been wide-ranging since he started his illustrious career in acting.
And the actor has also walked the theatre boards in other types of plays over the years, too, from Harold Pinter to Chekhov - with rave reviews.
As The Night Manager actor gears up to take to the stage for an all-new production of Much Ado About Nothing in 2025, we’ve decided to take a look back at some of the best Tom Hiddleston London theatre performances over the years.
We’ll also look at how you can see the actor star opposite Hayley Attwell in Much Ado About Nothing with VIP seats, for a show that you’ll never forget.
Register your interest in Much Ado About Nothing VIP ticketsMuch Ado About Nothing
Next year, Tom will take to the stage to play Benedick in Shakespeare’s much-loved comedy, Much Ado About Nothing at London’s Theatre Royal Drury Lane. Opposite him, Hollywood star Hayley Atwell will play Beatrice.
The Shakespearian classic comedy is a romance, focusing on Hero and her lover, Claudio. However, it’s the witty put-downs and banter between their friends Benedick and Beatrice that are the real stars of the show.
The play, put on by the acclaimed Jamie Lloyd Company, will run from 10th February until 5th April, and tickets are sure to be in high demand.
The company is also putting on a production of The Tempest starring Sigourney Weaver, also at the Theatre Royal Drury Lane, with tickets on sale now.
Read more: Shakespeare Plays in London - Best Over the Years and Ones to Book Now
Hamlet
Hiddleston played tragic Danish prince Hamlet in a 2017 production of the play at the Jerwood Vanbrugh Theatre in London.
Directed by legendary director Kenneth Branagh, the play was put on in order to raise funds for Rada, the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art.
It was nigh on impossible to get tickets to this show because they were sold by a public ballot, there were 160 seats per night, and the play ran with a limited run for just three weeks.
The Guardian praised Hiddleston’s “intense” portrayal of Hamlet, a prince full of anger about the death of his father the king, and hell-bent on revenge after his uncle takes the throne and marries his mother.
“If I had to pick out Hiddleston’s key quality, it would be his ability to combine a sweet sadness with an incandescent fury. He suggests a fierce intellect gnawed by intense melancholy and yet subject to bouts of intemperate rage,” a Guardian review said.
Betrayal
Hiddleston worked with director Jamie Lloyd in the Jamie Lloyd Company’s production of Betrayal, the Harold Pinter play, at the Harold Pinter theatre in 2019.
Zawe Ashton and Charlie Cox also appeared, and the production went to Broadway as well as the West End.
The play tells the story of a married couple and the seven-year affair with a close friend that’s affecting their relationship.
Told with Pinter’s caustic wit and a purposefully sparse dialogue, as well as raw emotion that is extremely moving at points, the play goes in reverse, starting in 1977 and going backwards to 1968.
The play garnered excellent reviews, with Variety calling it “daring” and “chilling”.
Coriolanus
In 2013, Hiddleston appeared in the Donmar Warehouse’s production of Coriolanus, the Shakespearian tragedy.
Is it the story of Roman general Coriolanus, who has defeated the enemy army and is now defending Rome. After he’s banished from Rome after he fails to win the vote of the people, he decides to join the enemy side, leading to a tragic end.
Hiddleston was praised for his portrayal of the arrogant war hero Coriolanus, appearing covered in blood on the battlefield.
Speaking to the Guardian, Hiddleston explained why he took the role. “Coriolanus is relentless, brutal, savage and serious, but that’s why I find it interesting,” he said. “The play’s poetry is raw and visceral, quite different from the elegance, beauty, clarity and charm found elsewhere in Shakespeare’s work.
"The warmth and delight to be found in his comedies are absent here. But the unstinting seriousness and intensity of the play is what makes it fascinating.”
Ivanov
Showing an incredible versatility to his craft, Hiddleston appeared in Chekhov’s Ivanov in 2008 by the Donmar Warehouse.
Ivanov is the tale of a landowner who is troubled financially. After falling out of love with his wife, he is in danger of losing his home, and suffering a major bout of depression that threatens to consume him.
With Kenneth Branagh at the helm of the play as Ivanov himself, Hiddleston played his doctor, Eugene Lvov, in this production, closer to the start of his career.
According to London Theatre, the Evening Standard called the production, “A near-revolutionary, powerfully acted production.”
How can I see Tom Hiddleston theatre production of Much Ado About Nothing with VIP seats?
With the actor set to appear in Much Ado About Nothing in 2025, now is the time to register your interest for any VIP seats that are released.
This is your chance to secure one of the best views in the house and have a night that you’ll never forget via Seat Unique’s booking system. Sign up now to be among the first in the know when any VIP tickets come on sale for this epic Shakespeare play.
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