David Tennant and Cush Jumbo-led Macbeth wins three WhatsOnStage Awards

The Donmar Warehouse production of Macbeth has triumphed in three different categories at the 25th Annual WhatsOnStage Awards.

Director Max Webster’s production began life at the central London venue in December 2023, narrowly missing the eligibility cut-off point for last year’s awards ceremony, and following the end of its run in February 2024, it then transferred to the Harold Pinter Theatre in the West End, enjoying a sold-out run from October to December.

Setting it apart from previous stagings of the Scottish play, the piece incorporated binaural technology to create an immersive 3D sound landscape. Each audience member wore headphones, conjuring the same aural experience whether sat in the balcony or on the front row. Gareth Fry was awarded Best Sound Design for his accomplishments.

Taking on the titular role, the cast was led by David Tennant, who received the most votes in the Best Performer in a Play category, after facing stiff competition from the likes of Emma D’Arcy (for The Other Place), Tom Holland (for Romeo and Juliet), Anne Odeke (for Princess Essex), and Michael Sheen (for Nye), as well as his co-star Cush Jumbo, who portrayed Lady Macbeth. You can read more about Tennant’s historic win here.

Finally, the production took home the award for Best Play Revival, beating the UK touring production of A Raisin in the Sun, Sheffield Theatres’ The Crucible, Robert Icke’s new take on Oedipus, Jamie Lloyd’s Romeo and Juliet and the Ben Whishaw and Lucian Msamati-led staging of Waiting for Godot.

Alongside Tennant and Jumbo, the cast of Macbeth included Rob Alexander-Adams, Moyo Akandé, Annie Grace, Jasmin Hinds, Martyn Hodge, Brian James O’Sullivan, Casper Knopf, Gemma Laurie, Cal MacAninch, Kathleen MacInnes, Alasdair Macrae, Niall MacGregor, Rona Morison, Noof Ousellam, Raffi Phillips, Jatinder Singh Randhawa, Theo Wake, Ros Watt and Benny Young.

The production featured designs by Rosanna Vize, lighting by Bruno Poet, sound by Fry, movement by Shelley Maxwell, composition and musical direction by Macrae, fight direction by Rachel Bown-Williams and Ruth Cooper-Brown of Rc-Annie Ltd and casting direction by Anna Cooper.

Sign up to our newsletter for more