"Happy Birthday, Harold" Charity Gala (2018)

October 10, 2018:

Stars of stage and screen united to help celebrate the life and work of famed British dramatist Harold Pinter on what would have been his 88th birthday. The Happy Birthday, Harold charity gala also served to raise money for Amnesty International and Chance to Shine. The event was held at the Pinter Theatre in London which was renamed to honor the star in 2011. The charity gala was directed by Jamie Lloyd and Jonathan Glew. 

Before the show kicked off there was a special Happy Birthday message for Harold. 

Tom Hiddleston, Kit Harrington, Simon Russell Beale, Kristin Scott Thomas, Jeremy Irons, Indira Varma, Zawe Ashton, David Suchet, Russell Tovey, and Lia Williams were just some of the famous faces who performed poems, speeches, and play extracts.

Tom performed an scene from Harold Pinter's 1978 play Betrayal, alongside actress Zawe Ashton. They also gave a dynamic performance together during the Dickens vs Tolstoy Battle earlier this month. 

Afterwards Zawe posted: Scene Buddies. Tom Hiddleston. We gave our best Pinter-esque pauses last night in Betrayal all to celebrate the late, great Harold Pinter and collect for Amnesty. An electrifying evening. 

Tom doing interviews. He told WhatsOnStage: I've never been in a professional Pinter production but I've loved his work all my life. Long before I even thought about being an actor I did "The Homecoming" for my A-Level in English Literature... I thought "this is a really interesting piece of writing". It felt really alive. It was like a sort of window into another world, a more adult world, a more sophisticated world. 

"The thing about Pinter as a writier is that there's so much range. It's funny, and profound, and complex, and witty, and absurd, and honest."

Tom Hiddleston posing with fans after his performance. Tom was carrying a donation bucket for Chance to Shine. 

There was an after party held at Brasserie Zedel in London. Tom posed up a storm with fellow guests including Lady Antonia Fraser (my spirit animal), Jeremy Irons, Indira Varma, Zawe Ashton, and Jamie Lloyd. 

***UPDATE***

On November 14, 2018 Tom Hiddleston posted a cryptic video on his twitter with no caption or explanation. But the video ends with the word BETRAYAL splayed out on the screen. Betrayal is the name of the Pinter play Tom performed with Zawe Ashton at this event and it also appears that he is wearing the same suit... we will just have to wait and see. 

Fashion: 

Tom Hiddleston is wearing a suit from Alexander McQueen that he debuted back in 2015. It's almost three years to the day from when he wore it to the London Film Festival. I would have really loved to have seen that leopard tie again! 

Credits: 

ATG Tickets
WhatsOnStage
Jamie Lloyd Company
Getty Images
Ben Monk
Faber Drama
Jim Glaub

Cryadd88 
Em Ormond

Zoe Heriot
Celeste Denyer
Lauren Frida