Daniel Craig and Ruth Negga to star in Macbeth in March 2022- Page 2

[ClydeBarrow]

Posted: 9/29/21 at 1:11pm

HogansHero said: "I get all of the pushback against the property and the director but can we just pause for a moment and ponder the filling of the post-Rudin void that some were so worried about? A Rudin-less Broadway is not a rudderless Broadway, and we are better for his absence on so many levels."

So yet another version of Macbeth somehow illustrates that Broadway isn't rudderless? Sure, Jan.

[gibsons2]

Posted: 9/29/21 at 1:16pm

SouthernCakes said: "How do we know Ruth Negga? Feel like I know her name but not sure why?"

I loved her in Preacher TV series. She also has the movie Passing coming up next month

[Dollypop]

Posted: 9/29/21 at 1:18pm

I have never seen a good stage presentation of this play--from the Stratford CT production where the set was made of lycra that was stretched, pulled and poked to suggest different locations, to the Kelsey Grammar version that was produced on an apparent budget of $20.00, to the Lincoln Ceneter production, where the witches were treated like The Supremes. Somewhere in the mix was Ethan Hawke's performance where his incessant shouting caused him to lose his voice several times a week and an Alec Baldwin production that looked like it took place in a leather bar.

We'll see how this one fares.

[Lunalaaaaaaaa]

Posted: 9/29/21 at 1:22pm

mattmarkowski99 said: "Begins previews on March 22nd and opens April 28th at the Lyceum Theater. Directed by Sam Gold

https://deadline.com/2021/09/daniel-craig-broadway-macbeth-ruth-negga-spring-2022-1234846541/"

Tickets start October 6 and 8!!!! Wowza

[HogansHero]

Posted: 9/29/21 at 1:29pm

ClydeBarrow said: "So yet another version of Macbeth somehow illustrates that Broadway isn't rudderless? Sure, Jan."

First, my name is not Jan.

Second, I expressly said that I got the pushback on the property.

Third, it seems very clear that my reference to a rudder related to Rudin and that, aside from a bit of semi-corny word play, the point was that the fears, expressed here by some, that the sort of productions that had been the hallmark of Rudin's producing (including, e.g., Lear, directed by Sam Gold and starring an imported "star" would disappear without his hand hand on the tiller seem to have been overblown. 

Fourth, paraphrasing LMM, writing is easy, young man; reading is harder.  

[bjh2114]

Posted: 9/29/21 at 2:13pm

Dollypop said: "I have never seen a good stage presentation of this play--from the Stratford CT production where the set was made of lycra that was stretched, pulled and poked to suggest different locations, to the Kelsey Grammar version that was produced on an apparent budget of $20.00, to the Lincoln Ceneter production, where the witches were treated like The Supremes. Somewhere in the mix was Ethan Hawke's performance where his incessant shouting caused him to lose his voice several times a week and an Alec Baldwin production that looked like it took place in a leather bar.

We'll see how this one fares."

I don't usually love it on stage either, but the Patrick Stewart/Kate Fleetwood production directed by Rupert Goold (also at the Lyceum) in 2008 was outstanding. That production was electric.

[Jordan Catalano]

Posted: 9/29/21 at 2:41pm

I don’t ever again want to hear about “Gypsy” being revived too often.

[JBroadway]

Posted: 9/29/21 at 3:08pm

@Dollypop

Sounds like you’ve been unlucky in your Macbeths. As mentioned above, the Goold production was excellent (I didn’t get to see it live, but I love the film translation they did for it). Carrie Cracknell did a really strong production at the Young Vic some years ago. Then in NYC, we had Erica Schmidt’s recent production at the Lortel, with a cast of young women – that was excellent. And Yukio Ninagawa’s production from the 80s came back to NYC a couple years ago, and I thought that was also brilliant. And those are just the ones I’ve personally seen – Macbeth is done all the time, everywhere. There’s bound to be plenty of duds, even among the high-profile production.  

 

On that note though - It does seem strange to me that we’re getting yet another production of Macbeth on Broadway in such a relatively short amount of time – compared with many Shakespeare plays that have barely been produced in NYC recently, let alone on Broadway. I get the criticisms about wishing they would put their star power toward new talent. From an audience standpoint though, I don’t really care. I’m used to see people do and re-do Shakespeare. I once saw 6 productions of 12th Night in less than 2 years. 

 

And yeah, I think Hogan raises a good point. Rudin’s specialty as a producer was attracting high-profile stars, and pairing them with some combination of iconic roles and/or significant directors/playwrights. Many worried that we wouldn’t see as much of that after Rudin’s downfall, but this is a good example of that. 

[Sauja]

Posted: 9/29/21 at 4:32pm

What I like about Sam Gold is that he takes big swings. Sometimes that means he flails, but he’s never boring or safe in his approach. He’s directed some of my favorite AND least favorite shows. So I’m excited to see this.

Yes, it’s the 5th Macbeth since 2000, but one of those days as essentially a solo show, and the less said about Hawke or Grammer’s productions, the better.

What’s most interesting to me is that this has the feel of a Scott Rusin show. He launched the Gold/Jackson Lear, and one almost expects to see his name attached to this one. What a pleasure to see that it’s not.

One could look at this as being a sign Broadway is just making safe bets, but then look elsewhere at Is This a Room and Dana H. or at Thoughts of a Colored Man or at Pass Over. Some folks are out here making big swings with projects that might tank. But you can’t say no one is trying anything new. At least not as far as plays go. The musical landscape…well, we’ll see!

[Timon3]

Posted: 9/29/21 at 5:21pm

I would’ve thought the critically acclaimed off Broadway production of Othello that Daniel Craig did would of moved uptown.

It will take both Daniel and Ruth, many hour and days and weeks and months to learn their lines. Shakespeare is notoriously difficult to learn, as we now speak very different than they did 450 years ago.

[The Distinctive Baritone]

Posted: 9/29/21 at 5:34pm

Timon3 said: "I would’ve thought the critically acclaimed off Broadway production of Othello that Daniel Craig did would of moved uptown."

That was my first reaction to seeing this announcement. I suspect that Craig and Gold wanted to transfer their Othello to Broadway, but it kept getting postponed because of schedules and such, then COVID happened, and now with the current cultural climate Othello is just a risky play to spend millions of dollars putting on since there is a faction of people out there who feel that they play is racist. Macbeth seems like a "well, what other Shakespeare could we do?" sort of decision.

BTW, Gold's Othello (as well as his Hamlet with Oscar Isaac) were both pretty acclaimed, so maybe he'll do well with Macbeth, and has learned to maybe not try to reinvent the wheel with the classics after the poor responses he got to his King Lear and Glass Menagerie.

 

 

[JBroadway]

Posted: 9/29/21 at 5:51pm

I've said this before, and I'll say it again: Sam Gold isn't exactly a bad director, so much as he's a wildly inconsistent director. Not just in quality, but also in style. Lest we forget that this is the same man who directed Fun Home to perfection. Lest we forget that he was also Annie Baker's go-to director when she was putting out her most significant works. And we've gotten things like A Doll's House, Part 2 - and so on. Not to mention he's done some revivals that were incredibly safe, ordinary, and devoid of any creativity.

So I feel like he's just kind of a wild card of a director. None of us really knows what he's going to do with Macbeth. And even if it is sort of in the same vein as his Hamlet and Lear, personally I'd rather see him do these weird, messy, playful reinterpretations of classics than to see him do one of his more stale, ordinary productions. 

As I write this, it also occurs to me that Macbeth might be more in his wheelhouse than Hamlet or Lear. The latter 2 plays are more steeped with heavy meaning, thematic resonance, and complicated philosophical explorations - and Gold didn't really capture any of that. Macbeth is still Shakespeare of course, so it still has a lot of that. But it's somewhat more accessible - somewhat more of a plot-driven, more compact in its structure, more viscerally thrilling, and overall more straightforward. We might find that Macbeth is a better complement to Gold's unwieldy, mood-driven direction. 

[Lunalaaaaaaaa]

Posted: 9/30/21 at 5:31pm

hearthemsing22 said: "Just to confirm ticket sales right now is only American Express, right? Just to make sure."

I believe so! So far only Telecharge is selling Macbeth tickets and Audience Reward members will gain access beginning October 6. 

[liger420]

Posted: 10/6/21 at 1:23pm

500 a ticket for decent tickets. They really think people are going to spend that after the pandemic despite Craig being in it?

[ErmengardeStopSniveling]

Posted: 12/16/21 at 11:20am

MACBETH will now play the Longacre, not the Lyceum, which is a much more desirable house.

[BritCrit]

Posted: 12/16/21 at 11:43am

ErmengardeStopSniveling said: "MACBETH will now play the Longacre, not the Lyceum, which is a much more desirable house."

I wonder if that means the Lyceum will get Sing Street or another smaller musical...

[steven22]

Posted: 12/16/21 at 11:47am

BritCrit said: "ErmengardeStopSniveling said: "MACBETH will now play the Longacre, not the Lyceum, which is a much more desirable house."

I wonder if that means the Lyceum will get Sing Street or another smaller musical..."

I thought the same thing...really hoping we get news about Sing Street soon. 

[BritCrit]

Posted: 12/16/21 at 11:48am

P.S - It's amusing Diana is being replaced by a far grimmer story about British royalty...

[TaffyDavenport]

Posted: 12/16/21 at 11:51am

I splurged for this when tickets first went on sale, and I feel much better having spent $150 for mezzanine row D at the Longacre than at the Lyceum. Although, had I known, I might have bought a cheap balcony seat, since the Longacre's is so much better.

Updated On: 12/16/21 at 11:51 AM

[JSquared2]

Posted: 12/16/21 at 12:00pm

BritCrit said: "P.S - It's amusing Diana is being replaced by a far grimmer story about British royalty..."

Technically, Macbeth is Scottish.

 

[ErmengardeStopSniveling]

Posted: 12/16/21 at 12:05pm

MACBETH and SING STREET have the same producer (Barbara Broccoli) so that is possible. But the announcement likely would have been coordinated.

I would think the Longacre is more desirable for a musical...it's tough to recoup a musical with only 950 seats (Lyceum) compared to 1090 (Longacre), even if Daniel Craig is a bigger draw than Sing Street will ever be.

Updated On: 12/16/21 at 12:05 PM

[EDSOSLO858]

Posted: 12/16/21 at 12:18pm

Count me in the camp that thinks Sing Street will play the Lyceum after all. I feel an announcement from Broccoli and company real soon...

Updated On: 12/16/21 at 12:18 PM

[steven22]

Posted: 12/16/21 at 12:27pm

Jordan Levinson said: "Count me in the camp that thinksSing Streetwill play the Lyceum after all. I feel an announcement from Broccoli and company real soon..."

Crossing fingers! 

[TarHeelAlan]

Posted: 12/18/21 at 12:51pm

TaffyDavenport said: "I splurged for this when tickets first went on sale, and I feel much better having spent $150 for mezzanine row D at the Longacre than at the Lyceum. Although, had I known, I might have bought a cheap balcony seat, since the Longacre's is so much better."

We are in the exact same situation as you, having also bought $149 tix for Mezzanine Row D. They seemed to be a good combination of decent location and reasonable price. I'm not familiar enough with the two theatres to make a direct comparison, so just wondering why you feel these seats are actually better in the Longacre than the Lyceum? Thanks for any insight you can offer. 

 

[TaffyDavenport]

Posted: 12/18/21 at 1:06pm

TarHeelAlan said: "TaffyDavenport said: "I splurged for this when tickets first went on sale, and I feel much better having spent $150 for mezzanine row D at the Longacre than at the Lyceum. Although, had I known, I might have bought a cheap balcony seat, since the Longacre's is so much better."

We are in the exact same situation as you, having also bought $149 tix for Mezzanine Row D. They seemed to be a good combination of decent location and reasonable price. I'm not familiar enough with the two theatres to make a direct comparison, so just wondering why you feel these seats are actually better in the Longacre than the Lyceum? Thanks for any insight you can offer.



"

Well, besides the fact that the Lyceum is kind of a dump, the mezzanine at the Longacre is closer to the stage, overhanging the orchestra at row H, as opposed to row L at the Lyceum. I think the difference is noticeable.