An all-drag production of Shakespeare’s Macbeth arrives at the Emerald Theatre this spring, as TuckShop presents Category Is: Macbeth, running from 24 April to 28 May 2026.
The production marks a bold new direction for TuckShop, the UK’s leading drag-focused production company. The show promises a fierce, gritty and unapologetically queer reimagining of Shakespeare’s tragedy, performed entirely in its original text.
The cast is led by Drag Race UK Season 5 champion Ginger Johnson as Macbeth, and Season 6 winner Kyran Thrax as Lady Macbeth. They are joined by Yshee Black, Cyro and Daniel Jacobs (Vinegar Strokes) as The Three Witches, Anna Phylactic as Banquo, Richard Energy as King Duncan, and Victoria Scone as Macduff.
Set in the shadowy queer underground of 1980s London, Category Is: Macbeth fuses Shakespearean storytelling with the pulse of synth-driven nightlife. Drag becomes a tool of defiance in a world where masculinity is patrolled and queerness is criminalised, with battles for power fought under strobe lights and in the corners of Soho’s backrooms.
TuckShop’s Creative Director Chris 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.”
Founded by Chris Clegg, TuckShop has become a defining force in British drag theatre, producing acclaimed shows including Death Drop, Snow White, Peter Pan, Gals Aloud, and The Diana Mixtape.
Listings and ticket information can be found here.
