In Shakespeare’s day, it was the norm for all the female parts in his plays to be played by men …..and here we are some 400 years later and the practice is being revived with a drag version of Macbeth.  Good choice when you think about it as after all Macbeth is a Shakespearean tragedy about a Scottish general whose fatal ambition, spurred by witches’ prophecies and his wife, drives him to murder King Duncan and seize the throne. Racked with guilt and paranoia, Macbeth becomes a tyrant, leading to a bloody reign, his wife’s suicide, and his own downfall by Macduff.  Rumor has it, this is where RuPaul got his very first break. 

This new production by TuckShop in London of CATEGORY IS: MACBETH reimagines one of Shakespeare’s bloodiest tragedies in a city where being gay is an act of rebellion and drag is a form of survival. Starring a cast of ferocious drag performers, this is an all-new Macbeth born under strobe lights and police sirens, where prophecy comes whispered over eyeliner mirrors and power is seized in heels sharp enough to kill.

In a world where masculinity is policed, queerness is criminalised… the price of visibility is everything. Riots rage outside. Inside, the music of 80’s Britain – Depeche Mode, Soft Cell, Pet Shop Boys – pulses through the night. Paranoia spirals, loyalty fractures, and desire curdles into violence. Wigs slip. Crowns are stolen, and blood is impossible to wash out under club lighting. 

Dark, defiant, and drenched in 80s synth, CATEGORY IS: MACBETH is a fabulous tragedy about power, persecution, and what it means to survive.

TuckShop Creative Director and Founder Chis Clegg said: My favourite thing about Shakespeare is that his work can transport, and has been transported, to just about every location and every era and has been taken on by some of the world’s greatest performers. Category Is: Macbeth will be no exception. Our bold new take on this bloody fight for the crown will find new meaning and entertain audiences like nothing else TuckShop has taken on before. To be working with not one, but TWO Drag Race winners who are both Shakespeare lovers is going to be a thrilling challenge. And, just as in Shakespeare’s time, cross-dressing is truly on the cards across the whole cast. Drag is powerful, raw, and has been around since this play first existed, so marrying the world of 1980’s London, the drag scene, and the Scottish play makes so much sense, and I cannot wait for audiences to see what we’re cooking up.

The all-star cast, directed by TuckShop’s Creative Director Chris Clegg, will include Ginger Johnson (Drag Race UK Season 5 and 2025 Celebrity MasterChef winner) as Macbeth, Kyran Thrax (Drag Race UK Season 6 winner) as Lady Macbeth, Yshee Black (JOY, Sleeping Beauty, Peter Pan, Late Night Lycett), Cyro (Moonin 80: Everybody is Welcome, Southbank Centre) and Daniel Jacobs (Vinegar Strokes) (The Importance of Being Earnest, Rose Theatre; Death Drop, West End & UK Tour) as The Three Witches, Anna Phylactic (Dragula Season 5, Tubi; Coronation Street, ITV; Peter Pan, West End) as Banquo, Richard Energy (Antifa Cabarett: Slut it Down, Wellstot) as King Duncan and Victoria Scone (Alice in Wonderland; UK Tour, Death Drop: Back In The Habit, Sleeping Beauty, West End) as Macduff