Ralph Fiennes and Indira Varma to star in touring site-specific production of ”Macbeth”

Wessex Grove and Underbelly, in collaboration with Shakespeare Theatre Company, have announced that award-winning actors Ralph Fiennes and Indira Varma will take on the roles of Macbeth and Lady Macbeth in a new production of William Shakespeare’s iconic play.

The show is set to premiere in Liverpool in November of this year. Directed by Simon Godwin, the production will break free from the traditional confines of theatres and instead will be staged in four site-specific warehouses in four cities. The set design will be by Frankie Bradshaw and the adaptation by Emily Burns.

Producers Wessex Grove and Underbelly said today “We feel very honoured and excited to be working with Ralph, Indira, Simon and Frankie on such a bold artistic vision for one of Shakespeare’s greatest plays. Both Wessex Grove and Underbelly’s producing ethos is very much to push the boundaries of what a theatrical experience can be and who that experience is for.

“This production of Macbeth will inhabit stunning warehouses in four great cities, bringing the audience even closer to Shakespeare’s work, and in doing so we hope encouraging a whole new audience to discover the brilliance of live theatre.”

The play will have runs in Liverpool (24 November to 16 December 2023), Edinburgh (13 to 27 January 2024), London (11 February to 23 March 2024), and Washington DC (2 to 28 April 2024). Tickets for the UK dates will go on sale in June, while tickets for the US show are already available as part of a six-play subscription to Shakespeare Theatre Company’s 23/24 Season.

Fiennes, who has won both Tony and BAFTA Awards, expressed his excitement about working with Varma and Godwin again, saying: “Macbeth is a play that always carries relevance but with wars in Ukraine and Sudan – and murderous authoritarian regimes very present in the world, the play seems particularly current. But Shakespeare’s examination of the minds of his protagonists – the intimate nature of this – is what gives the play its brilliant and terrifying focus.”

Olivier winner Varma added: “I’m thrilled to be heading back into the rehearsal room with Ralph Fiennes and Simon Godwin exploring Macbeth and Lady M’s fraught relationship and the play’s themes of ambition and corruption which still feel chillingly poignant in our modern world.”

Godwin, the director, echoed the sentiments: “Macbeth is a remarkable portrait of a marriage and a terrifying account of the drift towards tyranny. The experience will be heightened by playing in different spaces across different cities before ending our journey – during a US election year – in America’s capital. I’m thrilled to be embarking on an international journey driven by Shakespeare’s capacity to urgently reflect our shared and volatile present.”

Further creative team and full casting are expected to be announced soon.