ETT today announce full casting for Artistic Director Richard Twyman’s version of Macbeth, which is excitingly reworked for 2025 for a limited run at the Lyric Hammersmith Theatre. Joining the previously announced Alex Austin (Macbeth) and Lois Chimimba (Lady Macbeth) are Gabriel Akuwudike (Banquo), Bella Aubin (Malcolm), David Colvin (Lennox), Ammar Haj Ahmad (Macduff), Daniel Hawksford (Duncan), Bianca Stephens (Lady Macduff) and Sophie Stone (Ross).

Macbeth opens on 5 March, with previews from 28 February and runs until 29 March 2025.

Artistic Director Richard Twyman and Executive Producer Sophie Scull said today, “We feel very lucky to have been able to put together such an extraordinary team for our reworked Macbeth. It’s a real thrill that audiences in London will have a chance to see this production and the work of the brilliantly talented people involved in it. Audiences can expect a Macbeth that’s surprising, exciting, dangerous and playful. We’d like to thank all of the partners, actors, creatives, artists and freelancers involved in making and realising it for audiences across the UK, internationally, digitally and now in London.”

Rachel O’Riordan, Artistic Director and CEO of Lyric Hammersmith Theatre, added “I am thrilled to be welcoming English Touring Theatre’s production of Macbeth to the Lyric. We are delighted to bring this compelling and thought-provoking production to our stage in West London.”

AN ETT, ROSE THEATRE AND CHICHESTER FESTIVAL THEATRE CO-PRODUCTION

ETT, Rose Theatre and Chichester Festival Theatre today announce the UK premiere of George Brant’s (Grounded) critically-acclaimed Marie and Rosetta, the roof-raising play with music telling the true story of American singer and songwriter Rosetta Tharpe and her protégé Marie Knight. Directed by Monique Touko (The Boy at the Back of the Class; School Girls; Or, The African Mean Girls Play), this production featuring gospel and blues hits is an electrifying portrait of the godmother of rock ’n’ roll.   

Celebrating her professional play debut as Rosetta, is multi award-winning  singer and actress Beverley Knight, whose many West End performances include Memphis, The Drifters Girl, Sylvia (for which she won an Olivier Award) and Sister Act. Full cast and creative team to be announced.

Marie and Rosetta runs at the Rose Theatre in Kingston 2 – 24 May before transferring to Chichester Festival Theatre 25 June – 26 July. 

Beverley Knight, said: “It is a great honour to be cast in the role of Sister Rosetta Tharpe, one of the unsung architects of rock ‘n’ roll. I am and have always been a storyteller, whether it be in a purely music form or in a theatrical setting. I’m excited to be able to tell the Sister Rosetta story in this important play about her life, trailblazing career and her relationship with the legendary gospel singer Marie Knight. This will be my first role in a professional play; I have performed many times in plays at an amateur level and I’m so thrilled that I get to tell HERstory as my debut. Sister Rosetta Tharpe, with her powerful expressive voice, her electrifying guitar and her Gospel message laid the foundations on which Chuck Berry, Ike Turner, Elvis Presley and literally everyone else has walked. The Godmother of rock ‘n’ roll deserves to be celebrated and remembered”.

Monique Touko, Director, said: “It is truly an honour to stage the UK premiere of Marie and Rosetta by George Brant. Returning to both Rose and Chichester with this needed and powerful story feels very timely.  This play allows us to not only celebrate the incredible lives of two trailblazing Black female musicians, but to immerse ourselves in their world, blending song and spectacle to bring their legacy to life. We’ll zoom in on the moments of their lives, big and small, and amplify their voices—both literally and metaphorically. It’s a privilege and a responsibility to depict these women in their full glory, ensuring they receive the recognition they so deeply deserve for their monumental contributions to music and culture.”