No longer booking
  • Venue Sam Wanamaker Playhouse, London
  • Performance dates Booking to 14 April 2024
  • Running time 2 hours 40 minutes (including interval)

★★★★ “Thrilling, funny and moving” – Times

Ten years after opening the Sam Wanamaker Playhouse in 2014, John Webster’s seminal revenge tragedy The Duchess of Malfi returns to London’s only indoor candlelit theatre in 2024.

Award-winning director Rachel Bagshaw (Midnight Movie, Royal Court) makes her Globe directorial debut with this ground-breaking anniversary production of Webster’s violent tale of misogyny and deceit.

The Duchess of Malfi is part of the Sam Wanamaker Playhouse 10th anniversary season, and is runningfrom 17 February to 14 April 2024 at the Sam Wanamaker Playhouse, Shakespeares Globe, London.

A forbidden marriage. A hidden family. A dangerous web of secrets and lies. The recently widowed Duchess falls in love with her steward, Antonio. Her brothers, eager to keep her under their control, warn her not to remarry. But some things are worth fighting – and lying – for… In a rigid, male-dominated world, how far does a woman have to go to protect those she loves the most? And what desperate measures will the men in her life take to control her story? 

Sign-up for booking alerts, offers & news about The Duchess Of Malfi and other shows:

Performance Information

Check booking calendar for full details


Stars and Creatives

Who is in the cast of The Duchess Of Malfi?

Stars Jamie Ballard, David Burnett, Tamzin Griffin, Olivier Huband, Arthur Hughes, Oliver Johnstone, Hari MacKinnon, Francesca Mills, Shazia Nicholls and Glyn Pritchard. 

Who are the creative team of The Duchess Of Malfi?

Written by John Webster, directed by Rachel Bagshaw.

Becky Paris – Casting; Zoe Halliday – Access Consultant; Roberta Zuric – Assistant Director; Ana Beatriz Meireles – Associate Movement and Intimacy Director; Sally Ferguson – Candle Consultant; Sarah Readman – Caption Designer; Anna Clock – Composer; Sabia Smith – Costumer Supervisor; Zoë Svendsen – Dramaturg; Rachel Bown-Williams – Fight Director; Ruth Cooper-Brown – Fight Director; Glynn Macdonald – Globe Associate – Voice; Ingrid Mackinnon – Movement and Intimacy Director; Ti Green – Set and Costume Designer; Giles Taylor – Text Consultant; Kay Welch – Voice Coach; Carol Cumberbatch – Wellbeing, Cultural and Diversity Consultant.


Important Notes

Content warnings:

The play contains violence including murder, as well as themes of incest and misogyny.

Venue Information

Sam Wanamaker Playhouse , 21 New Globe Walk, London, SE1 9DT

Nearest Tube or Train: London Bridge (Jubilee line, Northern line)

Nearest Buses: 45, 63, 100, 15, 17, 11, 15, 17, 23, 26, 76, 381 , RV1, 344

Directions

Google Apple

Critics' reviews of The Duchess Of Malfi

★★★★ "Thrilling, funny and moving" - The Times

★★★★ "Phenomenal" - TimeOut

★★★★ "Unexpectedly moving" - The Guardian

★★★★ "A cracking piece of work" - Evening Standard


Frequently Asked Questions

The Duchess Of Malfi is playing at the Sam Wanamaker Playhouse in London
The running time of The Duchess Of Malfi is 2 hours 40 minutes (including interval)
Yes, The Duchess Of Malfi has matinee performances on the following days: Saturday, Sunday
No, sorry, The Duchess Of Malfi has now completed its run and is no longer on sale.