Robert Lepage rewrites Macbeth for the NAC stage
The Quebec director reimagines Shakespeare's tragedy with 1990s biker gangs and a rural motel. June 5–13 at the National Arts Centre.
Robert Lepage is bringing Shakespeare to the National Arts Centre—but not the version you remember. His take on Macbeth transplants the Scottish tragedy into a 1990s Quebec biker world, where Cawdor Castle becomes a rural motel and Birnam Wood transforms into a cannabis field.
The production tackles themes of paranoia, political conspiracy, and the ruthless hunger for power—elements Lepage suggests feel urgent right now, with billionaire despots dominating headlines. The medieval and the contemporary collide in what the NAC calls a "grand reinterpretation," one that keeps Shakespeare's ferocious language and dreadful mythology intact while anchoring them in a world of motorcycles and lawlessness.
The ensemble cast performs in French (English surtitles available most nights), and the production runs nearly three hours with an intermission. Opening night is Friday, June 5, at 7:30 p.m., with a pre-show talk beforehand. Subsequent showtimes include matinees on Saturday and Sunday, and evening performances through June 13. A post-show talkback follows the June 12 performance.
If you're drawn to theatre that takes risks with the canon, this is worth the trip to Elgin Street. Lepage doesn't shy away from spectacle or provocation—and this Macbeth delivers both.