The 60-year-old actor will appear alongside Olivier Award-winner Indira Varma who is playing Lady Macbeth across locations in Liverpool, Edinburgh, London before relocating to Washington DC.
Directed by Simon Godwin with set design by Frankie Bradshaw and an adaptation by Emily Burns, the production is described as “breaking free from the confines of traditional theatres”.
Ralph Fiennes and Indira Varma will play the Macbeths in an ‘intimate’ Simon Godwin-directed touring production of Shakespeare’s tragedy that’ll play in warehouses rather than theatres – the London warehouse is TBC but the dates are Feb 11-Mar 23
— Time Out Theatre (@TimeOutTheatre) April 27, 2023
Fiennes said: “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.”
Who is Ralph Fiennes?
Fiennes, whose most memorable roles include Lord Voldemort in the Harry Potter films and M in James Bond, previously collaborated with Varma and Godwin on a production of Man And Superman at the National Theatre in 2015.
He most recently starred in The Menu on Disney+ as a celebrity chef and has also appeared in The English Patient, The Grand Budapest Hotel and The Constant Gardner.
In 1994, Fiennes won his first BAFTA for his performance as Amon Goeth in Schindler’s List.
Bafta-winning actor @mrralphfiennes and Olivier-winner actor Indira Varma are to star in a production of Macbeth that will be performed in the UK and USA https://t.co/YlM6AgGHGl pic.twitter.com/9nQexRcvzm
— The Stage (@TheStage) April 27, 2023
Where is Macbeth touring in the UK featuring Ralph Fiennes?
The production of Macbeth featuring Fiennes will be at:
- Liverpool – November 24 to December 16, 2023
- Edinburgh – January 13 to January 27, 2024
- London – February 11 to 23 March, 2024
Tickets for the UK tour dates will go on sale in June and more information can be found here.
Varma said she was “thrilled” to be working with the pair again to explore their characters’ “fraught relationship” and themes of “ambition and corruption” which remain “chillingly poignant” today.
Director Godwin added: “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.”
The season will run from November 24, 2023 to April 28, 2024 across the UK and US.
Further casting will be announced soon.