Macbeth is having quite a time right now, and as someone who loves the Scottish Play, I couldn’t be happier. The dark and spooky tale of the king of Scotland and his desire to keep his throne and power is filled with murder, deceit, and a messed up marriage that I love with my whole heart, and I’m sure getting my fill of it.
Not only do we have The Tragedy of Macbeth starring Denzel Washington and Frances McDormand coming out this December, and Saoirse Ronan taking her turn as Lady M, but now we have a Broadway take on the iconic tragedy, and honestly, I can’t wait to see DANIEL CRAIG and RUTH NEGGA murder some people.
According to Variety, the press release said, “This thrilling new production will capture the passion and ferocity of Shakespeare’s most haunting text like never before,”and honestly, the minute I saw both Craig and Negga involved, I was sold. I didn’t need to know anything else about this because I’m there opening night.
With Sam Gold directing the production, we’re in for a treat. Recently, he’s taken on directing Oscar Isaac in Hamlet, Glenda Jackson and Pedro Pascal in King Lear, and even Daniel Craig in the most recent off-Broadway production of Othello. In a statement, Gold had this to say: “I am beyond thrilled to be participating in this historic season as theatre re-emerges, and to be working with two such masterful actors on one of dramatic literature’s most challenging and epic dramas. I can’t wait to get started!”
But this isn’t the only person teaming up with Craig again. Barbara Broccoli, who has been the producer on Craig’s Bond films from Casino Royale on, is producing. “Daniel is not only a great film actor but a magnificent theatre actor as well. I am thrilled that he will be supporting the return of Broadway playing this iconic role with the exquisitely talented Ruth Negga making her Broadway debut and under the expert direction of Sam Gold,” Broccoli said in a statement.
Macbeth is easily my favorite Shakespeare tragedy. It’s twisted—it is, as Rachel Syme described on Twitter, perfect for the era of “girlboss, gatekeep, gaslight,” and it is just one of the best forays into the twisted, dark world that Shakespeare loved to create. Lady Macbeth is one of my favorite Shakespeare women because she is smart, capable, and uses her husband to her advantage. And now I will have Ruth Negga’s “out damned spot” speech to keep me going for all my days.
Tickets are going on sale in October, and the production starts previews in March 2022, so we still have plenty of time to wait, but this is the kind of theatre I’m here for. Daniel Craig doing Shakespeare? Ruth Negga making him commit murder? Brilliant! No notes.
(image: Tristan Fewings/Getty Images for EON Productions, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios, and Universal Pictures/Amy Sussman/Getty Images)
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