NINAGAWA Macbeth

“I shall remember it as long as I live” – The Sunday Times

“We hear Shakespeare and we see NINAGAWA Macbeth, a theatrical experience that is doubly enriching.” – The New York Times

To watch a Ninagawa production is to have an experience of a lifetime.

NINAGAWA Macbeth, the iconic samurai classic that brought the late theatre titan Yukio Ninagawa international recognition, returns to Singapore after 25 years.

Described by The Guardian as “achingly beautiful” and “a thing of wonder,” this tour de force transposes Shakespeare’s tragic play about a power-hungry general to the war-torn world of 16th century Azuchi-Momoyama Japan, turning Scottish warriors into katana-wielding samurai, and the highland woods into a mesmerising cherry blossom forest.

Moving through breath-taking stage sets rich in symbolism, NINAGAWA Macbeth stays true to the original text while lending it the titan’s trademark blend of eastern and western styles, emphasised by a huge butsudan (Buddhist altar), witches in kabuki-style costumes, and the haunting sounds of temple gongs, Gabriel Fauré’s Requiem and Samuel Barber’s Adagio for Strings.

The first of Ninagawa’s Shakespearean interpretations to be staged overseas, the 1985 international premiere of NINAGAWA Macbeth at the Edinburgh Festival put him in the pantheon of global theatre greats. In 2015, it was revived in celebration of Ninagawa’s 80th birthday. Marking the first anniversary of his passing, this special tour of NINAGAWA Macbeth is led by a stellar cast featuring eminent actors Masachika Ichimura and Yuko Tanaka.

Directed by Yukio Ninagawa
Original play by William Shakespeare
Translated by Yushi Odashima

Produced by Saitama Arts Foundation and HoriPro Inc.

Official airline: ANA

What sets apart Yukio Ninagawa’s exquisite staging of Macbeth?
Read this article to find out