Daniel Craig’s return to Broadway in a new version of Macbeth has been temporarily halted after the actor contracted Covid-19.
Wednesday’s matinee and evening performances were cancelled when the James Bond actor tested positive.
In a tweet late on Saturday night, the show said all performances were cancelled through to Thursday “due to the detection of a limited number of positive Covid test results within the company”.
Craig stars in a revival of William Shakespeare’s tragedy, with Ruth Negga making her Broadway debut playing Lady Macbeth.
PERFORMANCE UPDATE: Performances are being cancelled through Thursday, April 7th.
We deeply apologize for the inconvenience this causes ticket holders. All tickets for the cancelled performances will be refunded at the original point of purchase. pic.twitter.com/0ESkZ4q5wL
— Macbeth on Broadway (@macbethbway) April 3, 2022
Macbeth – directed by Tony Award-winner Sam Gold – is playing the Lyceum Theatre.
According to folklore, Macbeth was cursed from the beginning, when a coven of witches objected to Shakespeare using real incantations and put a curse on the play. Other productions have been plagued by accidents.
Craig was last on Broadway in a 2013 revival of Harold Pinter’s Betrayal opposite his wife, Rachel Weisz, and directed by Mike Nichols.
The actor also starred opposite Hugh Jackman in 2009’s A Steady Rain.
Gold directed Craig in a 2016 off-Broadway production of Othello alongside David Oyelowo.
Other high-profile shows on Broadway have had to cancel shows due to lead actor’s contracting the virus, including both The Music Man leads, Hugh Jackman and Sutton Foster.
