Forrest, Macready, Macbeth at Oklahoma Shakespeare in the Park

Overview

Rival actors ignite New York City’s Astor Place Riots, where art, class, and identity collide in fiery tragedy. Forrest, Macready, Macbeth is part of Oklahoma Shakespeare’s Fall Play Reading Series — a riveting exploration of celebrity, nationalism, and the dangerous moment when theatre and politics become indistinguishable.

Synopsis

Two actors. One role. A city divided.

Forrest, Macready, Macbeth dramatizes the infamous Astor Place Riots of 1849, when American tragedian Edwin Forrest and English star William Charles Macready clashed over competing productions of Macbeth. Their rivalry — artistic, nationalistic, and deeply personal — spilled beyond the stage and into the streets, where thousands gathered and the night erupted into violence.

The play weaves Shakespearean verse with 19thcentury street chants, newspaper rhetoric, and the voices of the Bowery Boys, revealing how class tension, xenophobia, and theatrical fandom collided in a single catastrophic event. As Forrest’s muscular populism battles Macready’s refined elegance, audiences witness a society on the brink — and a tragedy where Shakespeare becomes the spark.

Why You’ll Love It

• a gripping retelling of one of New York’s most explosive cultural clashes

• rival Macbeths performed in starkly different styles — raw populism vs. refined elegance

• a vivid blend of Shakespearean verse, historical text, and streetlevel storytelling

• a powerful exploration of art, politics, and the perilous line between performance and reality

Event Details

Join Oklahoma Shakespeare for this electrifying journey into history, where the stage and the street collide, and the timeless questions of ambition, identity, and power echo as loudly as Macbeth itself. Enjoy a reading of the play, then stay for a lively conversation with the cast.

FAQ

FAQ: Frequently Asked Questions — Oklahoma Shakespeare (okshakes.org)

Run Time

Approx. 2 hours, including a brief postshow conversation.

Content Advisory

Forrest, Macready, Macbeth includes themes of political unrest, mob violence, and public disorder, consistent with the historical events surrounding the Astor Place Riots. The reading contains references to conflict, class tension, and the staging of Shakespeare’s Macbeth, but all material is presented in a scriptinhand format with no graphic depiction. If you have questions about the tone or themes of this production, we’re always happy to help.