A production of Macbeth, starring the son of TV funnyman Les Dennis, has opened at Hampstead’s newest fringe theatre – which has launched next door to a much-loved playhouse that shut down two years ago.
The Shakespeare play opened last week at The Duke New End Theatre, in the basement of the Duke of Hamilton pub in New End, and runs until October 5.
It stars Highgate resident Les Dennis’s son Malcolm.
Duke of Hamilton owner Steve Coxshall is confident the theatre will prove a hit and has put his money where his mouth is – spending £14,000 on refurbishing the basement space.
He said: “The West End is so expensive and we have a brilliant new theatre in a lovely part of Hampstead.”
The new theatre is next door to the building that used to house the New End Theatre, before it was closed and converted into a synagogue and Jewish cultural centre in 2011.
While a number of one-off events has been staged in the space in recent months, the basement has now been converted into a fully-fledged theatre following a revamp, which includes new lighting and seating for up to 50.
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