MACBETH
MACBETH
MACBETH
CURRENT PRODUCTION
"UTTERLY COMPELLING"
London Theatre 1
MACBETH
SOLO
HONG KONG INTERNATIONAL SHAKESPEARE FESTIVAL JUNE 2026
Photos (above) by Fang Wai-sun, Tang Shu-wing Theatre Studio
REVIEWS
"Fierce monologue, ferocious physicality, and thorough rawness..."
"EXCEPTIONAL ACTING"
A YOUNG(ISH) PERSPECTIVE
“An extraordinary performance, that offers a new reading of Macbeth. Paul is a force of nature."
SOLIMANO PONTAROLLO - CEO/President of CASA SHAKESPEARE VERONA
"The spirit of Shakespeare, of Macbeth, is palpable, and the audience is able to breathe the subtle air of the great theatre. A must see." PANEACQUACULTURE.NET, MILAN.
"Condenses and crystallises the tragedy of Macbeth into a non-stop stream of consciousness roller coaster...utterly compelling." LondonTheatre1
"Distils Shakespeare’s darkest tragedy into an hour of taut, unrelenting theatre..."
"Every voice we hear and every figure who “appears” is refracted through Macbeth’s mind. His world shrinks until no one else matters."
"In one man’s body and voice, Shakespeare’s text comes alive, offering a crash course in the playwright’s insights into supremacy, paranoia, and the fragility of the human mind."
ASPECTS OF HISTORY
“His acting experience was incredible, having to carry the entire Macbeth on his own… A sensational work of dramaturgy, managing to create a common thread between all the characters, as if they were expressions of Macbeth himself. The show truly captures the spirit of Shakespeare, the spirit of the play Macbeth, for which the actor has become the spokesperson”
Alexandro Sentinelli
"GOODWIN’S TIRELESS PERFORMANCE IS POWERFUL, DEFTLY NAVIGATING MACBETH’S MANY MOOD SWINGS WITH EASE, LEADING TO A STRONG AND, UNUSUALLY FOR THIS STORY, MOVING CONCLUSION."
THE REVIEWS HUB
MACBETH solo
Director's Note
My starting point for MACBETH solo was reading case studies of the Macbeths being put under the analytical microscope, where their relationship and their actions are subjected to a rigorous psychiatric examination and diagnosis. Freud for example described Macbeth and Lady Macbeth as “like two complementary sides of the same psyche”
The play is presented from Macbeth’s perspective, but you cannot honour Shakespeare’s great tragedy without including Lady Macbeth ‘s voice and energy – as she pushes him towards a life of horror.
As well as Lady Macbeth, I have incorporated text from other characters, Banquo, Macduff – even the Doctor and the Porter – which together with Macbeth’s own text creates a linear narrative, as if these other characters are voices within Macbeth that he must resolve as he moves through the unfolding events.
MACBETH has some of the most visceral and passionate dramatic verse in all of literature, and this 750-line version of the play, puts the focus on the language and the art of the actor. There is no set and there are no props. A solo performer on stage, accompanied by a brilliant and atmospheric soundscape by Ukrainian Composer and Sound Designer Dmytro Saratskyi, traverses Macbeth’s madness and moral descent, emphasizing his weakness and mental turmoil, the choices he makes, and the consequences of his actions.
Paul Goodwin
May 2026
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The Shakespeare Edit's production of MACBETH SOLO has played to sold out audiences at the Hong Kong International Shakespeare Festival, Verona Shakespeare Festival Fringe, Casa Shakespeare, Verona, York International Shakespeare Festival, Petrovden Shakespeare Company (Bulgaria), SaFest Udine (Italy), in Milan, Mumbai and Prague; Riga and Daugavpils in collaboration with British Council Latvia, and at United Solo Theatre Festival in NYC winning the award for Best International Show.
Performed by Artistic Director Paul Goodwin, and created in collaboration with Ukrainian composer Dmytro Saratskyi, this 55 minute dramatic monologue combines a rigorous approach to language and the spoken word, with a dynamic physicality and brilliant soundscape, bringing Shakespeare’s tale of ambition, murder and madness fully alive for contemporary audiences.​
Next Performances: Catania Fringe Festival, 15th - 18th October 2026
