Royal Shakespeare Company directed by Silviu Purcarete.
Two generals, Macbett and Banco, put down a rebellion. In payment for their heroic service, Archduke Duncan promises to bestow on them land, titles and cash, but he reneges on the deal. Encouraged by the seductive Lady Duncan, Macbett plots to assassinate the Archduke and crown himself King. Trying to maintain his tenuous grip on the throne through a vicious cycle of murder and bloodshed, Macbett is haunted by the ghosts of his victims and discovers that his new wife is not all that she seems.
Written during the Cold War, Ionesco's Macbett remoulds Shakespeare's Macbeth into a furiously comic tale of ambition, corruption, cowardice and excess, creating a tragic farce which takes human folly to its wildest extremes.
Romanian born Eugene Ionesco was a member Academie francaise and winner of the Prix Italia. One of the most innovative playwrights of the modern stage, he was a pioneer who revolutionised theatre away from naturalism and towards a heightened imaginative truth which became known as the Theatre of the Absurd.
Silviu Purcarete has worked in European theatre for more than twenty years, most notably for the National Theatre of Craiova and Theatre Bulandra. His work seen in the UK includes The Dacemeron, Phaedra, Les Danaides (Glasgow), Oresteia (Lyric Hammersmith, Birmingham), The Tempest (Nottingham Playhouse) and Ubu Rex (Edinburgh International Festival). Silviu also makes his RSC debut.
Tanya Ronder's adaptations include Romeo and Juliet (Vestuport Theatre, Young Vic and Playhouse), Blood Wedding (Almeida) and the forthcoming adaptation of DBC Pierre's Vernon God Little (Young Vic).
Macbett plays in repertoire at the Swan Theatre, Stratford-upon-Avon from 25 May - 21 July 2007.
Running time
The running time for Macbett is 2 hours and 50 mins including an interval of 20 mins.
Access performances
Assisted performances on 7 July, 12 July.
