After its successful run in London, Much Ado About Nothing heads to Broadway this fall, beginning performances on October 31, 2026, at the Winter Garden Theatre. Directed by Tony Award winner Jamie Lloyd (Sunset Blvd.), the production will star Tony Award nominee and Golden Globe winner Tom Hiddleston reprising his role as Benedick. He will star opposite three-time Olivier Award nominee and Golden Globe nominee Hayley Atwell, who returns as Beatrice.
We caught up with the company at a press event ahead of the show’s Broadway premiere to talk about Hiddleston and Atwell’s leading performances in this reimagined take on the Shakespeare classic and what fans should be excited to see.
For those who may not be familiar with it, could you tell us what Much Ado About Nothing is about?
Jamie Lloyd: Much Ado About Nothing is like the original rom-com. It’s like a really classic frenemies to lovers story. Two people who pretend to hate each other, but actually love each other a lot and really want to be with each other. There’s a suggestion that maybe something has happened between them in the past and maybe they’re a bit bruised about that. But actually, you’re kind of rooting for them.
How they roast each other throughout the evening is kind of crazy. There’s a lot of wit and a lot of insults thrown at each other, which is really good fun. And then of course it all ends happily ever after and it sends us all out on a high.
Tom Hiddleston: It’s Shakespeare’s play. It’s Shakespeare’s words, and we have dressed it in –
Hayley Atwell: Hot pink confetti.
TH: [Laughs.] Hot pink confetti! It’s play about love with a big pink heart and we’ve dressed it in the music and the choreography of the ’90s.
What excites you about bringing Much Ado About Nothing to a Broadway audience after the London audiences loved it?
JL: In Much Ado About Nothing, the audience is kind of another character in the production because all of the actors communicate very directly with the audience and they respond to the audience. They point out members of the audience, they talk to individuals, and it’s all sustained by the laughter. It’s obviously a very funny play and there are very funny people in it, so you need the energy of that vocal response. And as we know on Broadway, the audiences are not hesitant when it comes to being vocal and letting you know if they’re having a good time.
HA: It was such a joy for us to put it in front of an audience in London. And the reception that we got felt like a real collaboration between us as actors and the audience wanting to participate in something so joyful. I hope that Broadway feels the same.
And you’re bringing it to the Winter Garden Theatre.
JL: I love the Winter Garden Theatre. Such an amazing history in that building, but it’s got a kind of scale. You need productions that have an energy and a visual dynamism and a kind of exuberance. But it’s also weirdly intimate.
When I saw Death of a Salesman there, I was so struck by how intimate it can be. There’s an amazing connection between the people on stage and the people in the auditorium that feels very immediate, so that’s really cool and very useful.
Tom, what is one thing you admire about Hayley’s performance, and Hayley, what do you love about Tom’s performance?
TH: One thing I love about Hayley’s performance is that the joy comes from stillness. There is something in her gift where she allows us to see the change in Beatrice from somebody who’s quite self-protected to somebody who’s open-hearted. And that transformation happens somehow in stillness. And as it builds it starts to send her body moving and twirling and spinning, and it’s like she’s going to take off. It’s a beautiful thing to witness.
HA: I always love Tom’s ability to embody the language so fully and naturally and truthfully. That’s something that I’ve seen in all the work that Tom has done. What feels particular to this production though, is his physical comedy which is such a wonderful delight and a surprise because of how much he’s enjoying it just as much as we’re watching it. I get to watch that from the wings every night.
Jamie, what has it been like watching Tom and Hayley form that relationship on and off the stage?
JL: Tom and Hayley are great friends of mine. I’ve known them for a long time. They’ve known each other for a long time. So, that chemistry and that friendship comes for free. They’re amazing sparring partners, but their silliness and their sense of humor is very much at the forward here and there’s no ego in these performances, so they have a lot of fun.
They’re amazing Shakespearean actors. We know them from Marvel movies, we know them from TV shows, but they are, first and foremost, theater actors, so their facility to make Shakespearean language sound so effortless and easy to understand is so accessible and so human.
And you get to see them both do these wild party moves. We said to them on the first day, “Show us your moves. If you were really drunk at a friend’s wedding party, how would you dance?” And that is what the people at the Winter Garden will be seeing.
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What can you tease about this production that makes it feel different from all other versions?
JL: The notion of the production. It’s all set at the biggest party you’ve ever been to in your life, which is very much in the text. Shakespeare tells us that there’s going to be festivities and rivalry and dancing and singing, so we really kind of ramped that up. There’s 90s club classics. There’s lots of silly dancing. There’s tons of pink confetti. There’s a huge inflatable heart. It’s like the best party you’ve ever been to in your life.
And of course, like all parties, sometimes everybody gets a little carried away. Maybe they drink a little bit too much, emotions start running really high, and of course tensions start to rise to the surface. The main thing though is that it’s just a really funny, joyous, heartfelt, amazing evening with the most amazing Shakespearean actors you’ve ever seen in your life.
HA: There’s some ’90s house classics in there, some that are reimagined. And there’s music that we grew up on, so we feel like it’s definitely the kind of music that would get us on our feet anyway and it feels very contagious. Once people caught wind that this was a show that people could really participate in from their seats, people got confident with it, which is great for us because they’re just having a great time.
TH: It’s the music from your best friend’s wedding. It’s that moment on the dance floor where somebody turns it up a notch and conversations end to be on the dance floor.
And also, some dance battles. Can we be honest about that?
HA: We can be honest about that. I win them!
When will Jamie Lloyd’s Much Ado About Nothing open on Broadway?
Much Ado About Nothing will begin performances on October 31, 2026 and open on November 19, 2026. The play will run through January 10, 2027.
Where will Jamie Lloyd’s Much Ado About Nothing play on Broadway?
Much Ado About Nothing will be playing at the Winter Garden Theatre.
Who will be in the cast of Jamie Lloyd’s Much Ado About Nothing on Broadway?
Much Ado About Nothing will star Tony Award nominee and Golden Globe winner Tom Hiddleston reprising his role as Benedick. He will star opposite three-time Olivier Award nominee and Golden Globe nominee Hayley Atwell, who returns as Beatrice.
The play will also feature Mara Huf as Hero, Mika Onyx Johnson as Borachio, Gerald Kyd as Don Pedro, Forbes Masson as Leonato, Phillip Olagoke as Friar Francis, Mason Alexander Park as Margaret, James Phoon as Claudio, and Tim Steed as Don John.
Who will be on the creative team of Jamie Lloyd’s Much Ado About Nothing on Broadway?
This production will be under the complete direction of Jamie Lloyd.
The design team for Much Ado About Nothing includes Tony Award nominee Soutra Gilmour (scenic & costume design), two-time Tony Award winner Jon Clark (lighting design), multiple Olivier and Tony Award nominees Ben and Max Ringham (sound designers & composers), Olivier Award winner Fabian Aloise (choreographer), Jon Glew (UK associate director & text editor), Stuart Burt, CDG (UK casting director), Jim Carnahan, CSA & Alexandre Bleau, CSA (US casting directors), Carole Hancock (hair, wigs & make-up), Kate Waters (fight director), Ingrid Mackinnon (intimacy coordinator) and Johnny Milani (production stage manager). The creative team will also include Conner Wilson (US associate director), Charlie Martin (UK associate choreographer), Anna Josephs (associate costume design), Ricky Lurie (US assistant costume designer), Cheryl Thomas (US assistant hair, wigs, & make-up), Huw Evans (UK music supervisor), and Adam Rothenberg (US music supervisor).
Where can I find official tickets to Jamie Lloyd’s Much Ado About Nothing on Broadway?
Broadway Direct is an official ticket seller for the Winter Garden Theatre. Tickets for Much Ado About Nothing on Broadway can be found here.
