David Tennant & Cush Jumbo's West End 'Macbeth' Will Get a Theatrical Release
David Tennant and Cush Jumbo in the original Donmar Warehouse run of "Macbeth"
(Photo: Marc Brenner/Donmar Warehouse)
In the words of the weird sisters: A drum, a drum! Macbeth doth come. Fans of great theater, William Shakespeare, David Tennant (Rivals), and Cush Jumbo (Criminal Record), can all breathe a sigh of relief: Macbeth will screen in select cinemas across the U.S., the U.K., and Australia next year. So if you can’t make it to London before Christmas, or simply didn’t manage to snag a ticket to the sold-out West End transfer of the Donmar Warehouse’s production of the Scottish Play, you’ll still have the chance to watch Tennant contemplate tomorrow and tomorrow and tomorrow whilst wearing a kilt at a theater near you.
The filmed version, shot during last year’s Donmar run, will be released in theaters on Friday, February 5, 2025, and tickets will go on sale in mid-October. “We are delighted that our innovative production of Macbeth will continue to reach new audiences beyond the original run at the Donmar and in the West End,” Donmar Warehouse Artistic Director Tim Sheader and Executive Director Henny Finch said in a joint statement. “It’s so exciting to think that thousands of global audiences will now get to experience this brilliant cast and the intimacy of the Donmar in their local cinema.”
This take on Shakespeare’s classic tragedy sees Tennant play the doomed Scottish king opposite Jumbo as his ambitious wife, Lady Macbeth. The show has earned rave reviews for everything from the performances of its leads to its intimate staging and innovative sound design. The production uses binaural technology to create a 3-D sound world, which the audience experiences by wearing headphones throughout the show. The recording will be mixed in the cinema version to integrate the audio effects into the movie theater experience.
Alongside Tennant and Jumbo, the Macbeth cast includes Moyo Akandé (Ross), Annie Grace (Musician & Gentlewoman), Brian James O’Sullivan (Donalbain/Soldier/Murderer & Musician), Casper Knopf (Macduff’s Son/Fleance/Young Siward), Cal MacAninch (Banquo), Kathleen MacInnes (The Singer & ensemble), Alasdair Macrae (Musician & ensemble), Rona Morison (Lady Macduff), Noof Ousellam (Macduff), Raffi Phillips (Macduff’s Son/Fleance/Young Siward), Jatinder Singh Randhawa (The Porter/Seytan), Ros Watt (Malcolm), and Benny Young (Duncan/Doctor).
“It’s great to be working with the Donmar Warehouse once again to bring their sold-out production of Macbeth to cinema audiences both across the U.K. and globally,” Trafalgar Releasing CEO Marc Allenby said in a statement. “Theater continues to be a significant driver of cinema box office revenue and is a priority genre for Trafalgar Releasing as we grow our wide-ranging portfolio of cultural content captured especially for the big screen.”
Max Webster directs the production, which was designed by Rosanna Viz. Bruno Poet designed the lighting, Gareth Fry created the sound design. Shelley Maxwell is the movement director, with Macrae providing composition and musical direction, Rachel Bown-Williams and Ruth Cooper-Brown of Rc-Annie Ltd directing fights, and casting by Anna Cooper.
Macbeth will debut in theaters beginning Friday, February 5, 2025. The West End production will run at the Harold Pinter Theatre in London through Saturday, December 14, 2024.
