Something weird is heading to the U.K.
A pop-powered musical reimagining of William Shakespeare's Macbeth, titled Weird, will make its world premiere in 2026 at the Newcastle Theatre Royal.
Written by Nick Butcher, Kerri Watt, and Fraser Watt, the limited engagement is scheduled for January 28-31, 2026. Casting and additional creative team members will be announced at a later date.
The new British musical will combine witchcraft, mischief, and mayhem with a soundtrack
of newly created pop tunes in order to relay the dramatic tale of the Scottish
king through the eyes of three witches.
Butcher and Scottish siblings Kerri Watt and Fraser Watt's work spans music, theatre, and film,
garnering 20+ million streams. Butcher is an Emmy and Olivier-nominated songwriter, best
known for writing The Little Big Things. Kerri
Watt has performed at Glastonbury, Hyde Park, and The Royal Albert Hall, while Fraser
Watt, a Berklee College of Music graduate, has worked with Dolly Parton, dearALICE, and more.
As part of the run in Newcastle, more than 5,000 school children will have the opportunity to see the new musical free of charge, thanks to a collaboration between producer Michael Harrison and Newcastle Theatre Royal.
In a statement producer Harrison said: 鈥淲hen I first read Weird and listened to the incredible soundtrack, I knew I wanted the biggest audience possible to see it. I鈥檓 well aware there are thousands of school kids who study Macbeth, the source material of this brilliant new musical. It鈥檚 fair to say some of us don鈥檛 understand Shakespeare鈥�Weird will change that.
鈥淲hen we decided to try out Weird at Newcastle Theatre Royal, the theatre I grew up in, it felt absolutely right to offer as many school kids as possible the opportunity to see it for free, to support them with their school work and to inspire them, as I was, simply by attending the magnificent Theatre Royal.鈥�
Musical versions of Shakespeare have long flourished on Broadway. Cole Porter's Tony-winning Kiss Me, Kate is loosely based on The Taming of the Shrew, while the current & Juliet explores what might have happened had Juliet not taken her own life.
Newcastle Theatre Royal is located on Grey Street in Newcastle upon Tyne. Click for more information.
