To be or not to be: a celebrity in Shakespeare?

The 2024-25 theatre seasons have seen Shakespeare’s work dominating headlines. Actors such as Tom Holland, Sigourney Weaver, and Matthew Bayton have drawn in audiences with their preceding reputations and the promise of a newly imagined version of the classic text. Whilst many actors like David Tennant, Luke Thompson and Ian McKellan are stars of both stage and screen, they flourish behind Shakespeare’s characters. So, the questions that remain: are celebrities making or breaking Shakespeare? Do Hollywood names renew the material, or is it all a box office ploy?

The classical text would have shone brighter through another new talent rather than a famous face

Starting with Jaimie Llyod’s Romeo & Juliet starring Tom Holland. This appearance followed his Olivier award-winning revival of Sunset Boulevard (at the Savoy Theatre), which utilised multi-media, camerawork and was technologically heavy in an immersive and innovative way. Lloyd went on in the summer of 2024 to reveal Tom Holland as the male lead in the Jamie Lloyd Company’s production of the romantic tragedy. Unlike Romeo, Juliet wasn’t casted or announced until weeks later. Francesca Amewudah-Rivers was eventually casted for the character, but this choice was met with disheartening controversy. Despite this being Amewudah-Rivers’s West End debut, with many theatre critics commending her poignant performance, many were unhappy and expressed their disappointment on social media. This discontent in the casting choice which was charged with racial abuse. Consequently, action was called for across the arts industry to protect black and brown actors.

Off the back of this backlash, before the run had even begun, the show was met with mixed reviews. As we all know, the play is steeped in passion, love-lust and melodrama, yet Lloyd’s adaptation strips all of this. A monochromatic aesthetic, a bare stage, cold lighting and enduring ominous drones underscored the action. These modifications were not only tonally different to versions of the show we’re used to, but also interestingly differ to the Company’s Sunset Boulevard. A New York Times critic states the play felt ‘more like a reading’ whilst a Variety article comments on how the Shakespearean verse loses its energy and meaning in the pacing of the scenes. Holland’s Peter Parker qualities lent themselves to a cute and awkward interpretation of Romeo. However, although he incentivised audiences to the theatre, he wasn’t as connected to the material as the supporting cast, or indeed Amewudah-Rivers opposite him. Therefore, regardless of this exciting return to the West End for Tom Holland (the last time being in Billy Elliot, 2008-2010), maybe the classical text would have shone brighter through another new talent rather than a famous face.

After a decade of being off-stage, this was a triumphant return for Baynton

A childhood fan favourite, Matthew Baynton, took the role of Bottom in the Royal Shakespeare Company’s (RSC) recent production of A Midsummer Night’s Dream. Baynton, best known for his (some could say iconic) work on CBBC’s Horrible Histories, has an established charm and comedic reputation from his onscreen work, so why wouldn’t it translate into a Shakespearean comedy? After all, it fits the historical genre.  Baynton’s characterisation of Bottom was met with glowing reviews and he recognised for his high energy and stage presence, as well as his comedic timing which was elevated when he became an ass. After a decade of being off-stage, this was a triumphant return for Baynton in Shakespeare’s magical midsummer tale.

A reimagined version of Shakespeare’s Henry IV Part I and Part II was abridged and entitled  The Player Kings, and showed at the Noel Coward Theatre. The play starred Sir Ian McKellen as the humorously alcoholic and indulgent character of Falstaff. I had the pleasure of seeing it during its run, and the audience were buzzing as they prepared to see Sir Ian McKellen, who is highly reputable in the world of Shakespeare, in his element. The production was high quality and the material was received well. The cast held the show to an exemplary standard, and it was easy to understand the two-part narrative. The use of set, music, and space was used with intention when punctuating points of tension or comedy, which were balanced throughout the play. Across the show’s run, McKellen made headlines once more as he fell off the stage during a performance. Luckily his fat suit and costume saved him, but he sustained some injuries, and although he recovered, the remaining run of the production was undertaken by his understudy. Whilst he performed, the reviews were full of praise and it is obvious that McKellen is a seasoned Shakespearean thespian. He is well-versed in the material and his presence commanded attention, doing both the material and role justice.

This version of the text was met with hearty laughs, as fans of both Shakespeare and Bridgerton filled the seats, all leaving the theatre uplifted

If ‘love is a familiar’, it’s Luke Thompson. I was also lucky enough to see him in the RSC’s Loves Labours Lost. Once more, we have a well-versed Shakespearean actor who has played the male lover before. In this comedy, Thompson (of Bridgerton fame) plays Berowne in Emily Burns’ adaptation, as well as taking centre stage as the face of the show’s marketing. The (romantic) comedy was reimagined in a multi-media production, opening with the use of screens and subtitles, as well as a mechanical stage. The result was vibrant, energetic, and witty as it was recontextualised on a billionaire’s private island. Thomspon showed off his understanding of the material as well as his ability to be both enchanting and amusing (most notably when he swiftly hid in a tree to avoid being seen by other characters). This version of the text was met with hearty laughs, as fans of both Shakespeare and Bridgerton filled the seats, all leaving the theatre uplifted.

Sigourney Weaver as Prospero in The Tempest was received by critics wanting more. Again, the actress’s high profile brought in full audiences, but her performance was overshadowed by her castmates. One performance was even interrupted during her West End debut run, as a Just Stop Oil group took to the stage in January. As another Jamie Lloyd production, some called it dull. Compared to his Romeo & Juliet, The Tempest has a variety of themes, but theatre pundit MickeyJo Theatre marks the productions as being ‘perplexingly bleak’. Indeed, following the recent Jamie Lloyd style, the play was darkly lit and perpetuated stereotypes on how people expect Shakespeare to be – it was long, difficult and disengaging.

Most recently, it should be said, Jamie Lloyd redeemed his previous Shakespearean reputation as his Much Ado About Nothing has been met with nothing but rave reviews. Marvel colleagues Tom Hiddleston and Hayley Atwell play Benedick and Beatrice in a comedy that is flamboyantly full of joy. Stylistically, this production doesn’t use cameras as many of Lloyd’s fans may have become accustomed to, (notably, The Tempest doesn’t use cameras either). This show is showered in pink confetti. The production has been marked as camp, fun and contemporary whilst still honouring the source text. There is bawdy humour, audience interaction and even a clear Marvel reference in the production, which I’m sure left fans feeling nostalgic. Hiddleston and Atwell, who are so comfortable onstage, are outrageous, and only heighten the unbridled delight many have felt when watching this bubbly, pink sensation.

There is a sense of equilibrium in the high-drama and intensity

Finally, Jonathan Bailey stars in The Bridge Theatre’s Richard II as the titular character. Bailey makes his West End return after his Wicked and Bridgerton success, and is the most recent celebrity to take on Shakespeare in London. This contemporary version of the show, having opened recently, balances tension, comedy and power dynamics in the versatile theatre space which most recently held a production of Guys and Dolls, and which strikingly contrasts the last production in its historical darkness. The London audience sees slick choreography, a bit of bloodshed and brilliant use of staging (which used fly-ins, and hydraulic elements). There is a sense of equilibrium in the high-drama and intensity, as well as some comedic moments marked by Bailey’s characterisation of the King and York family burden.

It seems that mastering Shakespeare lies in the creative choices of this contemporary age. Whilst acclaimed actors may draw in audiences, their knowledge of the material can always be recognised through the all-important actor-audience relationship, and each actor’s connection to what is being said and how it is then received.