Thursday 27 March 2008

Macbeth to Offer Final Dress Rehearsal as Benefit for Actors Fund; Previews Begin March 29

From: Playbill.com

By Adam Hetrick
The Broadway revival of Macbeth starring Patrick Stewart will offer theatregoers the chance to catch its final dress rehearsal as a benefit performance for the Actors Fund of America

The March 28 final dress rehearsal, originally scheduled as the first day of previews, is currently on sale as a benefit for the non-profit organization. Select orchestra and front-mezzanine seats, priced $100, are available by visiting www.actorsfund.org.

Macbeth, which arrives on Broadway following an acclaimed engagement in the West End and a current BAM run, will now officially begin previews March 29 with an opening on April 8 at the Lyceum Theatre. The limited engagement will run through May 24.

Stewart stars in the title role of Shakespeare's bloody drama with a British cast that includes Kate Fleetwood (Lady Macbeth), Paul Shelley (Duncan), Scott Handy (Malcolm), Ben Carpenter (Donalbain), Martin Turner (Banquo), Michael Feast (Macduff), Mark Rawlings (Lennox), Tim Treloar (Ross), Bill Nash (Angus), Christopher Knott (Old Seyward), Oliver Birch (Lady Macbeth's servant), Christopher Patrick Nolan (Seyton), Hywel John (Bloody Sergeant), Suzanne Burden (Lady Macduff), Polly Frame, Niamh McGrady and Sophie Hunter (Witches).

Macbeth features direction by Rupert Goold and is set in a "subterranean kitchen that serves as a military hospital in a timeless and nameless country." The production's West End engagement recently won two Olivier Awards: Best Lighting Design and Best Director for Rupert Goold.

The design team for Macbeth comprises Anthony Ward (production design), Howard Harrison (lighting design), Adam Cork (composition and sound design), Lorna Heavey (video and projection design), Georgina Lamb (movement director) and Terry King (fight director).

Patrick Stewart starred in the Broadway revival of Harold Pinter's The Caretaker. His additional stage credits include A Christmas Carol, The Ride Down Mt. Morgan, The Tempest as well as recent turns in the RSC's Antony and Cleopatra and The Tempest, which was also directed by Goold. Stewart is well known for his screen work as Captain Jean-Luc Picard in "Star Trek" as well as his performances in the "X-Men" movies. Stewart is slated to return to the RSC stage as Claudius in Hamlet later this year.

The Broadway engagement is produced by Duncan C. Weldon & Paul Elliott, Jeffrey Archer, Bill Ballard, Terri and Timothy Childs, Rodger Hess, David Mirvish, Adriana Mnuchin and Emanuel Azenberg with BAM.

Macbeth will play the following schedule at the Lyceum: weeks beginning March 31, April 14, April 28, May 12: Tuesday-Saturday at 8 PM, Wednesday and Saturday at 2 PM and Sunday at 3 PM; weeks beginning April 7, April 21, May 5: Tuesday-Friday at 8 PM, Saturday at 2 PM and 8 PM, Sunday at 3 PM; and week beginning May 19: Tuesday-Saturday at 8 PM, Wednesday and Saturday at 2 PM.

Tickets, priced $50-$100, are currently available to AmEx card-holders by phoning (212) 239-6200 or by visiting www.Telecharge.com. Tickets go on sale to the general public March 22.

The Lyceum Theatre is located at 149 West 45th Street in Manhattan.

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