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Curated by poetry advocate Allie Esiri, the sixth edition of this (early) evening of poetry from the National Theatre has been on sale for a while, with a starry lineup long expected. Ticket sales duly went through the roof when – a little over a week before showtime – it was announced that Tom Hiddleston – star of ‘Loki’, ‘The Night Manager’ and countless other things – would be one of the readers.
A Hollywood A-lister with a famously passionate fanbase, he’s clearly the biggest name, though the rest of the lineup is no slouch, featuring actors Asa Butterfield, Ṣọpẹ́ Dìrísù, Kate Fleetwood, a pre-recorded reading from Helena Bonham Carter (who had to drop out from performing IRL), plus Ukrainian actor Dária Plahtíy: the night will serve as a fundraiser for the Ukraine Humanitarian Appeal.
At time of writing the announcement of Hiddleston had shifted most of the tickets in a matter of hours, but there were still a handful at the back of the circle (bear in mind that the sight lines at the Olivier are all pretty good). The fact the tickets are very cheap may increase the chances of a return, as people may have bought them without being sure that can make it.
And if you can’t make it don’t worry - it will stream for free on the National Theatre’s YouTube channel from April 6.