Culture

Kyran Thrax and Ginger Johnson to star in all‑drag Macbeth set in Soho’s queer underground

TuckShop, a production company dedicated entirely to drag, is stepping boldly into new territory with an all‑drag staging of Shakespeare’s Macbeth - CATEGORY IS: MACBETH - which run at London’s Emerald Theatre from 24 April - 28 May.

Directed by TuckShop’s Creative Director Chris Clegg, the show keeps Shakespeare’s original text but transports the bloody Scottish tragedy into the shadowy queer underworld of 1980s Soho - a world of police raids, strobe‑lit basements and drag as an act of survival.

Kyran Thrax. Credit Roy J Baron

The star-studded cast features Ginger Johnson - winner of Drag Race UK season 5 and 2025 Celebrity MasterChef champion - in the title role, with Drag Race UK season 6 winner Kyran Thrax as Lady Macbeth. Yshee Black, Cyro and Daniel Jacobs (Vinegar Strokes) will appear as the three witches, while Anna Phylactic plays Banquo, Richard Energy takes on King Duncan, and Victoria Scone performs as Macduff.

The production reimagines Macbeth against a backdrop where masculinity is policed and queerness is criminalised, with riots outside and the throb of Depeche Mode, Soft Cell and Pet Shop Boys inside. Power grabs play out beneath club lighting, paranoia grows, and the drag glamour slips - along with the wigs - as violence mounts.

Ginger Johnson. Credit Roy J Baron

Promising a fierce, gritty and defiantly queer vision, TuckShop describes the show as “a fabulous tragedy about power, persecution, and what it means to survive” in a world where visibility comes at a cost.

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 1980s 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.”