'Macbeth' Pays Off, Big-Time

Playing just 63 performances on Broadway, an acclaimed, brutal production of "Macbeth" starring Patrick Stewart earned its producers a cauldron full of money.

"Macbeth" made a profit between about $350,000 and $450,000 on an initial investment of $1 million, producer Emanuel Azenberg said in an interview. He said he'll have a final tally when he receives all the bills.

"I'm really pleased," Mr. Azenberg said. "Only once in a while do we see a Shakespeare that's accessible."

Mr. Azenberg, part of a team of British and American producers, said the limited run on Broadway wasn't a preordained hit. About 20,000 people saw the show at the Brooklyn Academy of Music before the transfer. Laced with video imagery, Soviet-style military costumes, and blood, it originated at the Chichester Festival Theatre in West Sussex, south of London. The cast was almost entirely British, and the move to Broadway required a waiver from Actors' Equity.

Thanks to mostly stellar reviews, it played to near-capacity in Broadway's 910-seat Lyceum Theatre. In its final two weeks, "Macbeth" sold as many as 100 "premium" seats a performance, at $251 each.