Anthony Mackie is returning to Broadway to play Macbeth, the Scottish general who murders his king to seize the throne. The move comes after a 16-year absence from the stage, and Mackie says the role represents a career milestone.
The production transfers from London, where it starred David Tennant and Cush Jumbo as the cruel Macbeths. It was staged by Max Webster at the Donmar Warehouse Theatre before moving to the Harold Pinter Theatre in London’s West End, where it ran for 11 weeks to sell-out audiences.
Rehearsals start in February 2027, with previews running from late March or early April. The play runs until July at a Broadway theater yet to be announced.
Mackie’s Long Road Back
Mackie trained at Juilliard and last appeared on Broadway 16 years ago in Martin McDonagh’s A Behanding in Spokane, opposite Christopher Walken, Sam Rockwell and Zoe Kazan, directed by John Crowley. His first son was born 15 years ago, and he says that moment is when he realised family and film would be his dual passions.
Living in New Orleans made returning to the boards difficult. “The thing about theater is if you live in New York, it’s great because it puts you at home,” he says. “But if you don’t live in New York, you know, having kids, it’s a huge sacrifice to be able to take time from your kids and daddy duty to go and dip your foot back in the water to chase your dreams.”
Mackie says his children will understand this one. “This was something I think my kids will understand,” he says, speaking via Zoom from his New Orleans home.
The push to return came during a visit to London while shooting Avengers: Doomsday. He met his friend and mentor Wendall Pierce, and the conversation about theater gave him the itch to get back on stage.
Why Macbeth Now
Mackie describes Macbeth as a man whose ambition gets the best of him. “His ambition got the best of him,” he says. “And I think in this day and age, it’s such a poignant time to play this character and tell this story because we’re living in the day and age of ambition.”
He points to the business sector, the tech sector, sports and popular culture as realms where ambition runs unchecked. “Just watching the news every day, and you know, walking down the street every day, you see how this generation and this time evolves.”
The role is tragic, he says, because “his ambition got the best of him.” Mackie explains that Macbeth becomes so paranoid he is willing to do anything to remain in power.
The London Production That Won Over Audiences
Max Webster’s version of Macbeth was praised for its staging and its revolutionary use of sound. Gareth Fry, the Tony and Olivier Award-winning audio designer behind Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, created a binaural sound system that involved the audience wearing headphones with actors speaking into microphones.
“It’ll be something,” Mackie says. “The microphones and the sound aspect of it is interesting because you in the audience can hear everything, you can hear every whisper, you can feel every emotion. So instead of having to project to the back of the house, the house comes to the stage.”
The production transferred from the Donmar to the Harold Pinter Theatre, where it ran for 11 weeks. Mackie says the staging made the play accessible to audiences that might otherwise shy away from Shakespeare.
“And that’s why I think the staging is so important. That’s why, in that production in London, the performances were so important because it really made it legible and easy to understand. It’s such a beautiful play,” he says.
What Comes After Broadway
Mackie will still have outstanding Marvel Cinematic Universe duties to complete after he finishes Macbeth. “So once I finish on Broadway, I’ll go to finish up all the Avengers stuff for Secret Wars,” he adds, referring to the next movie releasing late next year.
He is also planning a London debut “hopefully sooner or later,” he adds.
During his time away from Avengers: Doomsday, he skipped off to see London shows on weekends. “I saw everything,” he chuckles. When he recommended Oliver! to colleagues, they laughed at him. For three days on set, he enjoyed it so much that he was doing a bad British accent and reciting lines from Oliver.
Twisted Metal and 12 12 12
More recently, Mackie shot Season 3 of Peacock and Sony Pictures Television’s Twisted Metal, which he stars in and also executive produces with longtime manager Jason Spires of Inspire Management. He will appear with Jamie Dornan in heist drama 12 12 12, debuting November 13, on Apple TV.
| Production | Venue | Run |
|---|---|---|
| Original Macbeth | Donmar Warehouse, London | Late 2023 |
| London Transfer | Harold Pinter Theatre, London | 11 weeks, sold out |
| Broadway Transfer | TBA | Late March – July 2027 |
A Career Milestone
Mackie’s excitement is genuine. He says the role is one everybody dreams of playing, and doing it on Broadway is a monumental feat in his career and in his life.
“I’m just honored and jumping in wholeheartedly,” he adds, while noting that he has been working on the text with Richard Feldman, the celebrated drama teacher who taught him at Juilliard.
He was like, “Hey, man. I need your help. I’m calling in the big guns.”
The big guns are coming. Mackie has spent 16 years since his last Broadway appearance building his film career, and now he is stepping back onto the boards to play one of Shakespeare’s most notorious villains. The Broadway run starts in late March or early April, and the reviews from London suggest audiences will be paying attention.
Source material: “Breaking Baz: Anthony Mackie Returning To Broadway To Play Macbeth After 16-Year Absence From The Stage,” Deadline.
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