Saoirse Ronan set to make UK stage debut as Lady Macbeth

The play opens later this year.

Irish actress Saoirse Ronan has been cast in an upcoming production of William Shakespeare's Macbeth at the Almeida Theatre in London. The role will be her stage debut in the UK, having previously performed in The Crucible on Broadway several years ago. The award-winning actress will play the legendary Lady Macbeth opposite James McArdle in the title role. It won't be the first time these two perform together. Ronan and McArdle both appeared in Josie Rourke's 2018 film Mary, Queen of Scots. Two years later, McArdle played Saoirse's husband in Ammonite. The play will open on 25 September and will run until 20 November at the theatre in Islington, North London. This particular production will see a feminist twist on the bard's tale, as well as a more "equivalent relationship between the Macbeths", according to the theatre's artistic director, Rupert Goold. Ahead of the upcoming season, Goold said: "Although still battered and bruised by the last 14 months, and keenly aware that many within this industry continue to suffer as a result of the pandemic, this announcement today feels like an exhalation and moment to pay tribute to the endurance and creativity shown by so many friends and colleagues. "We’re announcing six new productions, including three world premieres (four if you include Hymn which plays to in-person audiences for the first time), plus two classic revivals, and a list of writers, directors and actors who are largely new to the Almeida." Since she was first nominated for an Academy Award at the age of 13, Ronan's career has gone from strength to strength. The actress, who was born in New York but raised in Ireland, was subsequently nominated for her performances in two Greta Gerwig films - Lady Bird (2017) and Little Women (2019), and John Crowley's Brooklyn (2015). Her most recent performance as Charlotte Murchison alongside Kate Winslet in Ammonite (2020) received praise from critics.