‘Macbeth’ Pays Off, Big-Time
This article is from the archive of The New York Sun before the launch of its new website in 2022. The Sun has neither altered nor updated such articles but will seek to correct any errors, mis-categorizations or other problems introduced during transfer.

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.

