The Duchess of Malfi

“Ambition… is a great man´s madness”

Recently widowed, the fiercely independent Duchess of Malfi defies her brother's order not to remarry, and weds her lover Antonio in secret. This fateful decision triggers a cascade of bizarre and tragic events, that plumb the depths of madness and threaten to destroy a kingdom. John Webster´s twisty Jacobean thriller comes to the Vienna stage courtesy of Wide Open Vienna, in association with Open House Theatre and the Bilinguale Schauspiel akademie (BSA). Tackling themes of female empowerment, toxic masculinity, moral flexibility and repressed desire, and mixing music, dance and modern dress into a heady, intoxicating brew, played by a lineup of Vienna´s finest English-speaking talent and delivered in our customary inventive, kinetic and vivid style, The Duchess of Malfi is a classic play with a sharp contemporary edge and promises a fun, frightening, thought-provoking, and deeply moving evening´s entertainment. Starring: Cesár Sampson, Tess Hermann, Pete Steele, Randall Galera, Jessica De Jong, Owen Lindsay, Lisa Sigismondi, Jacob Liss, Anne Marie Sheridan, Denisa Bozoanca, and students of the Bilinguale Shauspiele Akademie.

Directed by Owen Lindsay and Robert G. Neumayr

Performed in English.
Content guidance: This play contains themes of incest, misogny and child death; and moments of sexual assault and violence, including strangulation and murder. This production features the use of stage blood and weapons, including prop guns and knives.