Alongside multi award-winning Simon Russell Beale in the title role will be one time Royal Shakespeare Company regular Emma Fielding as Lady Macbeth. Tom Burke is Malcolm, Paul Higgins Macduff. Paul Ritter plays Ross, John Rogan the porter and the doctor, and the witches are Hilary Sesta, Jane Thorne and Janet Whiteside. John Caird directs, with set and costume designs by Christopher Oram, lighting by Neil Austin and sound by John Leonard.

The show will preview beginning Jan. 13, 2005. Opening night is on Jan. 20, and runs until March 5.

There’s also a casting update for Peter Whelan’s new play about the poet and designer William Morris, The Earthly Paradise, to run at the Almeida from Nov. 18 (opening Nov. 24) until January 8.

Robert Delamere directs, set and costume designs are by Simon Higlett, lighting is by Chris Davey and sound is by Christopher Shutt. The cast includes Saffron Burrows as Janey Morris, Alan Cox as Dante Gabriel Rossetti, Sean Gilder and John Hennie and Nigel Lindsay as William Morris.

And Rufus Norris — hot from his Almeida triumph with Festen (which transferred to the West End’s Lyric Theatre) — has been announced as director for the venue’s forthcoming production of Lorca’s Blood Wedding, to play from May 6 (opening on May 12) and run until June 18. The new version of the play by Tanya Ronder will be designed by Katrina Lindsay with music by Orlando Gough. For more details, call (0)20 7359 4404.