Covid-19 puts temporary stop on Daniel Craig’s return to Broadway

Daniel Craig’s return to Broadway in a new version of Macbeth has been temporarily halted after the actor contracted Covid-19.

Wednesday’s matinee and evening performances were cancelled when the James Bond actor tested positive.

In a tweet late on Saturday night, the show said all performances were cancelled through to Thursday “due to the detection of a limited number of positive Covid test results within the company”.

Craig stars in a revival of William Shakespeare’s tragedy, with Ruth Negga making her Broadway debut playing Lady Macbeth.

Macbeth – directed by Tony Award-winner Sam Gold – is playing the Lyceum Theatre.

According to folklore, Macbeth was cursed from the beginning, when a coven of witches objected to Shakespeare using real incantations and put a curse on the play. Other productions have been plagued by accidents.

Craig was last on Broadway in a 2013 revival of Harold Pinter’s Betrayal opposite his wife, Rachel Weisz, and directed by Mike Nichols.

The actor also starred opposite Hugh Jackman in 2009’s A Steady Rain.

Gold directed Craig in a 2016 off-Broadway production of Othello alongside David Oyelowo.

Other high-profile shows on Broadway have had to cancel shows due to lead actor’s contracting the virus, including both The Music Man leads, Hugh Jackman and Sutton Foster.