The Duchess [of Malfi]
A Citizens Theatre and Royal Lyceum Theatre Edinburgh co-production
THIS PRODUCTION TAKES PLACE AT TRAMWAY (25 ALBERT DRIVE, G41 2PE)
In a new version by Zinnie Harris after John Webster
‘You should know: I sing at parties, I wear colourful dresses, I am headstrong, I won’t wear my hair up because you say I should, or do this because you prefer it, in fact I might do the other just to be contrary, but I am utterly and always myself.’
Webster’s dark tale of bloody treachery is the most thrilling and chilling of the Jacobean revenge tragedies – an exploration of male rage and female resistance as two brothers try and control their sister, block her marriage and repress her agency with fatal results.
Reflecting contemporary debates about female empowerment and the abuse of male power, this bold new interpretation is written and directed by Zinnie Harris. Zinnie has garnered huge critical success for her previous adaptations of The Oresteia: This Restless House, (Citizens Theatre and National Theatre of Scotland) and her more recent versions of Ibsen’s The Master Builder (West Yorkshire Playhouse) and Ionesco’s Rhinoceros (Royal Lyceum Theatre Edinburgh and Edinburgh International Festival and DOT Theatre, Istanbul), which sold out at the Edinburgh International Festival.
Part of our Citizens Women season.
The Duchess [of Malfi] will be presented at Tramway whilst the Citizens Theatre building undergoes an exciting redevelopment. For details on how to get to Tramway click here.
Blogs
Blood-filled vengeance, murder and madness
Six reasons to see The Duchess [of Malfi]
The Duchess' history with the Citz
"Dark, clever, funny and beautiful" - Audience reactions
Educational Resources
School resources relating to The Duchess [of Malfi] are also available from the resources section of our website.
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DATES
Date Time Information 4 Sep 7.30pm Preview 5 Sep 7.30pm Preview 6 Sep 7.30pm 7 Sep 7.30pm 10 Sep 7.30pm 11 Sep 7.30pm 12 Sep 7.30pm 13 Sep 7.30pm Signed 14 Sep 2pm Audio Described Captioned 14 Sep 7.30pm 17 Sep 7.30pm 18 Sep 1.30pm 18 Sep 7.30pm 19 Sep 7.30pm 20 Sep 7.30pm 21 Sep 2pm 21 Sep 7.30pm
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Cast & Creative Team
CAST
Adam Best Bosola
George Costigan Cardinal
Eleanor Kane Musician
Liam King (Robertson Trust Actor Intern) Executioner
Graham Mackay-Bruce Antonio
Fletcher Mathers Cariola/Doctor
Angus Miller Ferdinand
Kirsty Stuart Duchess
Adam Tompa Delio
Gabby Wong JuliaCREATIVE TEAM
Director and Writer Zinnie Harris
Designer Tom Piper
Associate Designer Max Johns
LX Designer Ben Ormerod
Composer Oguz Kaplangi
Sound Designer MJ McCarthy
Dramaturg Frances Poet
Assistant Director Isla Cowan
Fight Director Renny Krupinski
Casting Director Laura Donnelly
Reviews
"a bloody and brilliant piece of work"
- The Herald
"bloody excellent"
- Morning Star
"Webster’s plot that remains sickeningly familiar, more than 400 years on"
- The Scotsman
"There is a crystalline brilliance in Harris’s combination of the Renaissance and the modern"
- The Telegraph
"bold reworking of the John Webster gore-fest"
- The Guardian
"a bold, provocative choice of play for inclusion in the Citizens Women season... acutely right for our times"
- The Times
"Towering adaptation of Webster's revenge tragedy as an inditement of misogyny"
- The Stage
"gripping, terrifying and mesmerising"
- edinburghfestival.org
"Kirsty Stuart's Duchess is a life-force of energy, blazing with independence and individuality"
- Whats On Stage
"brilliant, timely play"
- The Skinny
"a bold and powerful reinvention"
- Daily Business Magazine
"this production is hard to beat"
- AllEdinburghTheatre
"beautifully staged and cleverly directed"
- Bouquets & Brickbats
Press
“... even though there is a stage full of blood, the play offers a way forward. There's no point in putting an audience through all this darkness without saying there's another way of doing things."
"The Duchess of Malfi is a wonderfully rich tale of love, sex and hatred. It’s one of those plays that is written on a broad canvas, is hugely theatrical and tells a big story. It’s also an important story that will speak to any audience."
Video
The Duchess [of Malfi] trailer
Zinnie Harris introduces The Duchess [of Malfi]
Kirsty Stuart introduces her character, The Duchess
Zinnie Harris on the setting and design
Tom Piper on costume design
Citizens Women
Photo Galleries
Deaf Theatre Club for The Duchess [of Malfi] will take place on Friday 13 Sep at 7.30pm