SeatPlan Logo
The Duchess Of Malfi hero image
The Duchess Of Malfi hero image
The Duchess Of Malfi hero image
    finds humour in the bloody chaos
    The Evening Standard
    revenge tragedy goes hard on humour
    The Guardian

The Duchess Of Malfi Tickets

Sam Wanamaker Playhouse

Ten years after it opened the Sam Wanamaker Playhouse, Webster’s iconic and chilling revenge tragedy returns to the candlelit theatre.

Book The Duchess of Malfi Tickets Today

Ten years after it opened the Sam Wanamaker Playhouse with a bang in 2014, John Webster’s groundbreaking revenge tragedy The Duchess of Malfi returns to disturb and delight audiences as part of the candlelit theatre’s anniversary season. Book now to experience a story of lust, possession, revenge and patriarchal control - a blood-soaked tale that will have you on the edge of your seat until its final, haunting moments.

About The Duchess of Malfi

When the recently widowed Duchess falls in love with her steward Antonio, her brothers send a clear warning: remarry, and she will face consequences. But the Duchess is determined to live by her own choices, and will do anything to keep the truth from her dangerous siblings…

Forbidden love, hidden families and unsettling secrets make this Jacobean revenge tragedy one of the most compelling plays ever written. The story drips with violence, misogyny and deception as the brothers go to horrifying lengths to control their sister's life.

Webster’s play was first performed privately at the indoor Blackfriars Theatre - the inspiration for the Sam Wanamaker - in 1612 and to a public audience at the Globe Theatre in 1613-14. It has remained a popular favourite for audiences to this day, who are captivated by its complex characters, defiant main character, and depiction of a world breaking down into chaos.

The Duchess of Malfi London Creative Team

John Webster is one of the best-known Jacobean playwrights and is famous in the 21st century for his chilling revenge tragedies Malfi and The White Devil. His work has been performed by the Royal Shakespeare Company and Almeida Theatre to name just two, and when the Sam Wanamaker Playhouse opened in 2014 it was Malfi that was chosen as the first production to grace its stage and give audiences a taste of what the atmospheric, intimate venue could offer!

Award-winning director Rachel Bagshaw makes her Globe debut with a stunning anniversary production of The Duchess of Malfi that will send a shiver up your spine even as you can’t bear to look away. Her other credits include Midnight Movie at the Royal Court Theatre.

Tickets for The Duchess of Malfi Available Now

Don’t miss your chance to see this unsettling but totally unmissable tragedy, performed by eerie candlelight in a venue similar to the one it premiered at over 500 years ago. The Duchess of Malfi roars back into London for a limited season from 17 February 2024.

Sorry this show closed 14 April 2024, we recommend these similar productions.

Player Kings
The Mousetrap
Performance dates:
13 Apr 2024 - 14 Apr 2024
Running time:
2 hours and 40 minutes including an interval.
Age recommendation:
No age recommendation has been set. See Audience Notes for content warnings.
Audience Notes:
The play features violence including murder, as well as themes of incest and misogyny.
Categories:

Latest Audience Reviews

I couldn't see enough of it from my standing position to give a fair review.

I felt that the play was weird and the adaptation was for a specific audience. One recommendatio... More

Terrific- a really clear telling of the story with excellent acting, the actors were Globe regula... More

As I mentioned to a couple of people at the interval, wasn't it so much better to see this produc... More

Having seen this show before at the Old Vic seven years ago, I was expecting to be blown away by... More

My favourite show of the season. A perfect adaption. Beautiful aesthetics, excellent characterisa... More

Your basket is empty.