Ralph Fiennes and Indira Varma to star in Macbeth in London, Liverpool and Edinburgh

Ralph Fiennes and Indira Varma are to star in an intimate new production of William Shakespeare’s Macbeth.

The show will be staged in four site-specific warehouses in four iconic cities, opening in The Depot, Liverpool from 24 November – 16 December 2023.

It will then tour to Edinburgh at Royal Highland Centre (13 – 27 January 2024) and London at Dock X, Canada Water (11 February – 23 March 2024) before heading across the pond to Washington, D.C. (2 – 28 April 2024).

Tony and BAFTA Award-winning Ralph Fiennes will star as Macbeth and Olivier Award-winning Indira Varma will star as Lady Macbeth.

Joining them are Ben Allen as Ross, Ewan Black as Malcolm, Levi Brown as Angus, Jonathon Case as Seyton, Danielle Fiamanya as Second Witch, Keith Fleming as King Duncan/Siward, Michael Hodgson as Second Murderer, Lucy Mangan as First Witch, Jake Neads as First Murderer/Donalbain,  Richard Pepper as Lennox, Steffan Rhodri as Banquo, Rose Riley as Menteith, Lola Shalam as Third Witch, Rebecca Scroggs as Lady Macduff/Doctor, Ethan Thomas as Fleance, and Ben Turner as Macduff.

It is adapted by Emily Burns with direction by Simon Godwin. Set & costume design by Frankie Bradshaw, lighting design by Jai Morjaria and sound design by Christopher Shutt. The composition is by Asaf Zohar, with sound system design by Christopher Shutt & Sam Clarkson. Movement direction is by Lucy Cullingford, the hair, make-up and prosthetics design by Susanna Peretz, fight direction by Kate Waters, casting direction by Amy Ball CDG and children’s casting direction by Ellie Collyer-Bristow CDG. Voice & dialect coaching is by Jeannette Nelson, the associate director is Alice Wordsworth, the associate set designer is Ceci Calf, the associate costume designer / costume supervisor is is Olivia Ward, the associate lighting designer is Tom Turner and the casting associate is Arthur Carrington.

It is produced by Wessex Grove and Underbelly, in association with Shakespeare Theatre Company, Washington, D.C.

Ralph Fiennes said: “Ever since we collaborated on Man and Superman I’ve longed to work with Indira Varma and Simon Godwin again. Simon brought us together then and he’s reuniting us for Macbeth. Simon’s visionary process is exceptionally collaborative. This will be my third time working with him – I’m truly excited. 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.”

Indira Varma added: “I’m thrilled to be heading back in to 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.”

Director Simon Godwin commented: “I’m thrilled to be reuniting with Ralph and Indira after our acclaimed Man and Superman at the NT. 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.”

For more information and tickets, visit MacbethTheShow.com.