Cover photo: A happy Sam Heughan at the stage door, The Other Place, after Macbeth, Oct 15, 2025; photo credit: Eunice Painter
I arrived by train from London into Stratford Upon Avon on the afternoon of the opening of Macbeth (Thursday, October 9th). After talking to the guys at the train station, I elected to walk to my hotel, which wasn’t right next door, but didn’t warrant getting a taxi. Shakespeare is definitely the main man in Stratford!
This cracked me up – Shakespeare just out there helping the landscapers 🙂
I got a chance to get an overview of the small tourist town as I walked from the train station to my hotel.
I followed the map given to me at the train station, and I arrived at the River Avon (to the left), and that’s the Royal Shakespeare Theater complex, with the tower, straight ahead.
It’s a cool blend of old and modern architecture…
I checked into the Arden hotel (which is lovely), and had time for a bath.
When I bought my theater tickets, it prompted me to also arrange hotel and dinner reservations, which I did. I had a pre- theater dinner at the Royal Shakespeare Company’s rooftop restaurant. It was nice, but I felt a little rushed, because I needed to walk to the theater, and hadn’t figured out yet how to get there. I knew the theater was within walking distance, but that can be a range of distances in the UK in my experience!
I’m pretty sure that Sam did his recent photo shoot for his new vodka in this same location.
Our tour also had lunch here on the day of our arrival into Stratford Upon Avon (more about that in another post).
I finished up my dinner – I can’t remember what I had just now – and headed off to find The Other Place. It wasn’t too far, and still, I was relieved when I got there. I was still nursing a pelvic injury, and the day had been full of figuring things out, walking a lot, and lugging all my stuff. This was my most intense travel day of my trip so far, and I had gone to bed at 6:30AM that morning! I was glad to arrive!
The evening was nice, and the vibe was chill.
I walked in and looked around. They were selling programs, so I bought one. I had just gotten up from the dinner table, so I didn’t need anything to eat or drink. Almost immediately, I saw an Outlander friend (who is also a longtime patron of my site), Rosanne, who was there with her niece and had just done a trip with her 20-something-year-old great-nieces, including Land Con in Edinburgh. We caught up about that in line, and as we entered the theater, I was astonished to discover that our seats were right next to each other! We were on the ground floor in the high (or stool) seats against the wall. Here was our view of the theater. This is pre-show.
And, here we are, pre-show.
Photo credit: Rosanne Frank; Opening night, Macbeth, Oct 9, 2025
OK, full transparency: I have never been a Shakespeare fan. Probably because I was first exposed to Shakespeare by force, in high school, along with Beowulf and Chaucer, which I realize are Old and Middle English respectively, but to me, at that age, it all sounded like gibberish that I had to read and oftentimes memorize. In fact, we had to memorize the prologue to the Canterbury Tales and then recite it one on one (“Whan that Aprille with his shoures soote The droghte of Marche hath perced to the roote…” etc.), to our most passionate, stern, tall, and intimidating English Professor, Dr. Elizabeth Weed van Hamersveld (born in 1920), who studied at Oxford, and was a Thomas Hardy stan. We read and dissected My Ántonia by Willa Cather in that class, with no plot and the never ending descriptions of that damn heath! Dr. Van did introduce me to Ralph Waldo Emerson’s ***Self Reliance, which changed my life, and she gave me a strong foundation for my writing, so ultimately, I am thankful. But, I digress…. Even though Shakespeare is Early Modern English, vs the other two, I have categorically avoided Shakespeare for most of my life, so far. However, I did recently see Judy Dench recite some Shakespeare, and it was positively captivating (and intelligible!). Therefore, I confess that I went into the opening night of Macbeth, having never read or seen the play (that I can remember), and extremely jet lagged! I also had to be up at 4:30AM the next morning to be packed and in my taxi by 5:30AM, to catch my flight to Edinburgh to meet up with the tour group. The theater was warm and dark, and I was struggling to stay alert. So, for much of the play, I was lost, and nodding off. I knew I was going to see it again, so I just let it be what it was.
***UPDATE – Specifically, what I remember being life changing for me, were Ralph Waldo Emerson’s quotes in The Norton Anthology of American Literature – I suspect that it was the 1980 Hardcover edition. Quotes like, “Our greatest glory is not in never failing, but in rising up every time we fail. Live in the sunshine, swim the sea, drink the wild air. Life is a journey, not a destination. When it is dark enough, you can see the stars. Once you make a decision, the universe conspires to make it happen. The only person you are destined to become is the person you decide to be. Don’t be too timid and squeamish about your actions. All life is an experiment. The more experiments you make the better. The earth laughs in flowers. A great man is always willing to be little. Peace cannot be achieved through violence, it can only be attained through understanding. To be great is to be misunderstood. Write it on your heart that every day is the best day in the year.” And so so many more. I felt an awakening when I read these quotes by Ralph Waldo Emerson. For me, school was largely a droning on about seemingly unimportant things, until him. His words literally stirred something inside me and made me feel excited. Walt Whitman had some great ones too. Song of Myself: “Do I contradict myself? Very well then I contradict myself, (I am large, I contain multitudes.). These guys gave me permission to break out of the little depressing mold I felt contained by, and be large, and human. And it was life changing for my 17-year-old self.
Between the first viewing on October 9, and the second, on Oct 15th, I had adjusted to the time difference, which was very helpful. And, I was traveling on a bus, with all of the details already taken care of (thank you Lisa!). Gillebride MacMillan, who played Gwyllyn the bard in Season 1,
and is the Gaelic consultant for both Outlander and Blood of My Blood, was our guest for our Welcome Dinner the next night, and was asking me about the play. I told him that I was going to reserve comment because of my state when watching. He said that he’d had a similar experience one time, and told me about seeing the play Fly Away Home – which everyone raves about, but he didn’t love. He had arrived in New York after an early flight from Glasgow, went straight into rehearsals for a concert of Pipes of Christmas, and then got a chance to see the show on Broadway. He said he wasn’t able to fully appreciate the play at the time, as he hadn’t slept for 20 + hours! He said he could relate to my Macbeth experience, and we had a laugh about it. I won’t say I didn’t like Macbeth the first time, but I suspended my opinion until the second viewing, based on my compromised viewing state!
***CORRECTION: I had reached out to Gil to ask him the name of the play he’d seen when writing this article. He reached out a few days later and said “Come from Away was the name! I knew it had Away <in it> somewhere…” Which made me laugh and only reinforced the point!
For the second viewing, I was awake, I was seated between Cathy and Antoinette, and I preferred my sightline that night. We were on the upper deck in the first row, facing the staircase. I could see everything happening from this viewpoint. Usually an upper deck seat is less desirable in my experience, but not so with this venue and production. Which is really great imo.
Our BTS Outlander Meets Shakespeare crew awaiting the start of the show! Such a lovely group of humans. Photo credit: Conny Ripper
Enthralled, watching Mr. Heughan play Macbeth…
Below is the above folks’ view of the stage. (My night 1 seats were right across the way on the first level – the high seats – I was one or two away from the door). Photo by Jane Kidder
Back to opening night – when I went back to my hotel room, I searched up (as my kids say) “Macbeth for dummies,” and came up with a video made for kids, which oriented me with the story. I watched it that night after the show, and then again before the next time I saw the play. This was extremely helpful. In fact, I sent it around to the whole tour group before we saw it together on Oct 15. Everyone in our group had differing levels of experience with Shakespeare, so some didn’t need it, and some did!
I also had a coffee after dinner on Oct 15! I had had time to think about the play, and process what I’d seen when I went into the second viewing. I also learned that opening night on October 9th kicked off the play’s run of preview performances, during which time, adjustments and refinements were still being made. The production was finalized around its official press night on October 21, and from that point, the show is considered “set” and remains essentially the same for the rest of the run. It was really fun for me to notice the similarities and differences in the play between the first and second viewings. In fact, on the day of our tour group viewing (Oct 15), our group did a costume tour (split into two groups), and the company was rehearsing during our costume tour! Karmen was in the first group at 2:30PM, and took a photo of the closed circuit tv. With her anatomical prowess, she assures me that the tall figure in the black pants in her photo is Sam.
I was in the second tour group at 3:30PM, and they were still rehearsing!
So, for these first two weeks, working on Macbeth is really time consuming, apparently. I don’t know that they were rehearsing every day, but I discovered that a one-show day (vs matinee + an evening performance), at a company like the RSC might include:
- Afternoon (2-3 hours before curtain): Actors begin arriving at the theater. This time is used for getting into costume, makeup, and wig.
- Pre-show (1 hour before curtain): The cast does physical and vocal warm-ups.
- Performance: The play is performed for the evening’s audience. (7:15PM to 9:50PM for Macbeth)
- Post-show: After the curtain closes, actors remove costumes and makeup and cool down.
They clearly arrived sometime before 2:30PM to rehearse, and then probably breaking for tea or dinner, and then would come right back afterward and start getting ready for the show, and not be finished (if you include stage door time, which Sam has been doing every night), until 10:15 to 10:30PM. I’m interested to know how this compares to Sam’s 12-14 hour days on Outlander. Not as much sitting around, but less total hours.
On opening night, Sam seemed keyed up, understandably. Most of his delivery was intense, with less nuance, and less pacing. I saw a big difference between him and the female lead that night (Lia Williams), who was more nuanced and paced. He was also smoking quite a bit throughout the play, which probably didn’t help with the nerves. I was told after the second viewing that the character of Macbeth is supposed to be using the audience as his conscience. I did not pick that up in the first viewing, perhaps because of where my seat was situated, or the jet lag, but I think at least in part, it just wasn’t a prominent aspect of Sam’s performance at that moment. In the second viewing, I experienced Sam as much more embodied and settled. There were more emotional fluctuations, pauses, and more nuance. He also made a lot of eye contact with the audience – meaning, he would go to a specific spot in the theater, and look directly at someone or someones in the audience and speak his lines to them. Cathy and I happened to be sitting in such a spot for the second viewing.
***MORE INFO – @RothhaKimberly commented on X saying that the cast don’t use real cigarettes on stage, and good old Tash @peekaboo_jen came through with a source. The RSC has a page for Macbeth that includes the elements that people may find distressing, and it says that there is smoking (herbal cigarettes). So I don’t know if those would be stimulating and add to nerves or not. More details (and spoilers about show elements) in the Source section below.
There was a world of difference between my two experiences. I had a lot to do with that, and knowing what the heck was going on, but also the play had morphed somewhat, and Sam seemed to have settled into his role and his pacing. The first night, Lia Williams stood out to me, and it felt like Sam was more chasing the dialogue. The second night, that wasn’t the case at all, and in fact, Sam stood out to me more. The first night, I feel Sam played Macbeth as more of an innocent, and more in love with Lady Macbeth, just killing the king because she wanted him to, and because he relied heavily on her guidance. She seemed more like the alpha on the first night – more the evil temptress. And so the arc was big, to get him from there, to where he is by the end of the play. By the second night, the Macbeth character was less the innocent to start with, and Lady Macbeth was more a victim of her desires and playing on Macbeth’s underlying desires, vs leading an innocent lamb to slaughter. Lia seemed more subdued on the second night, I even wondered if maybe she wasn’t feeling well. Sam’s generation of emotion felt much more embodied, real and believable on night two, for me. And, I personally liked the changes they had made to the play. I felt it worked better and was more cohesive. Again, some of that might have been me, but therein lies the beauty of live theater – it’s literally an interaction between the production and the audience – wherever we each are on the night.
I felt the whole cast was strong. Antoinette said after the Oct 15th night, that this adaptation of Macbeth was brave, and now that I have a clue, I agree with her. I was confused the first night, about Glaswegian guys in leather jackets also talking about thanes and kings. Context was helpful.
It would be really fun to see the play a third time near the end of the run, to see where it all lands by then. I feel super fortunate to have gotten to see it in its infancy and its working it out phase. It occurs to me how brave Sam is – taking this on after so many years away from the theater, with a house full of, let’s be honest, obsessed Outlander fans! I guess, one could view that as a good set up, as his fans are his fans and mostly want the best for him. But still, I admire Sam for how he goes for it in his life and in his work. And, I also want to say, that I feel that most of the movie and TV roles Sam has had since Outlander do not truly showcase his talent. This does, and that is refreshing!
The end of the play is intense, and then pretty much right after that, Sam appears at the stage door to greet fans and sign programs. Full transparency, I left the play at intermission on the first night, I was just exhausted. I saw that he had done a stage door appearance, but there’s no way I could have made that anyway. As I said, I had to be up at 4:30 the next morning. He did do a stage door appearance on the night of Oct 15, and there was a pretty big crowd. They announced that he would not be doing selfies that night, I guess because of the crowd size? There were some extra folks there who had not seen the play that night, which is OK, but unfortunate for those who will only be there for one night and may not have gotten a signature.
I’ve done some theatrical work, and in one performance, my story arc was to meet and fall in love with drugs and alcohol, party a lot, eventually overdose and die, and then be dead for a full scene, and then come back to life in an etherial scene, and then do a comedic last scene, as the whole thing was a dream! And then curtain call. I can remember how keyed up I was after the emotional roller coaster on those nights. I’m sure it’s different for a formally trained actor, (which I definitely am not), but I would imagine there’s still some adrenaline! So then you have to get yourself calmed down enough to go to bed and do it all again the next day. So, in my view, it’s extremely gracious of Sam to do the stage door appearances every night. I hope people remain respectful so it can continue and be enjoyed by audiences through December 6th.
After the play, we all filed out, and I made a beeline for the stage door. I was able to be near the front, and Sam came out with a smile on his face.
Among the first people Sam talked to were Donna-Marie and Beverly, who were on our tour, and told him about our group of 30.
By the time he came to me, I said a quick hi, told him we went to the distillery, he asked if they took good care of us, and I said they did, and then my program was signed, and he was on to the next person.
Photo credit: Mary Kershner
I heard someone from our tour say, “I’m with Courtney’s group,” and Sam said “thank you Courtney’s group!” and we all cheered.
Photo by Conny Ripper
I moved back and started pulling people from our tour up into my spot. I was also asking people who had already gotten their programs signed to move back so other people could come forward. Most people were respectful and polite.
(Mary K and Karmen in the upper left corner)
It was fun for me to see the women on the tour get a chance to have a quick word and get their programs signed after seeing such a special production, as many had never met Sam before, (while some, have met him many times!). Mary, Karmen, Lisa, Nancy, Nina, Marion, JoAnn, Debbie, Linda, et al. inching their way up! (Maybe Ann Marie right in front of me)
Afterward, we all made our way to the Dirty Duck for some post show revelry.
Before going in, I noticed that Banquo and The Father were sitting outside having a beer. I told them I really enjoyed the play and asked if they would sign my program. I asked how it was for them having Sam be the main attraction at the stage door, and they joked that he keeps them from getting mobbed by fans so they can go have a beer.
My program…
And my Banquo sig
The priest
Once inside the Dirty Duck, Marion bought me a beer, (thank you again Marion!) and it was delicious! I enjoyed looking around the room, seeing people buzzing about their night, and sharing their photos.
After drinks, we all trailed home in our own time, and to be honest, it took me a while to go to sleep. This was definitely a highlight of our tour, and I was happy that it had gone so well. Excellent night of theater and community. As far as I’m concerned, Macbeth is a success, and I am really happy for Sam and the rest of the production, as well as ourselves, who’ve been lucky enough to share it.
Final note: The BTS Lassies will be reviewing Macbeth next. We talk on Wednesday, Oct 29th, so look for that + more posts about our tour soon! xo
***Update: Between 3/4 of us having Covid and Hurricane Melissa hitting Jamaica, we postponed discussing until Monday, Nov 3rd.
****Update to the update: For the same reasons above, we postponed again until Monday, November 10th.
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OutlanderBTS: Galloway Distillery Review & Photos ~ Outlander Meets Shakespeare Tour
OutlanderBTS The Discussion, BOMB Episode 108 ~ A Virtuous Woman
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Source: btboces.org
Source: rsc.org.uk
Dirty Duck is still in Stratford!!! The first time I was in England in 1968, I had a few beers with friends there after seeing As You Like It. For a non drinking Anglophile it was a surreal experience!
Yes, it’s still there! You need to go back!
Awesome! thanks Courtney and thank you for making all this possible. I love being able to talk to my \”tribe\”
Xo
You’re so welcome Conny, it was great having you on the trip. Thank you again for making key chains for everyone – so thoughtful and I love that my logo is a little charm on it! And I thought of a new name for Ann Marie – “Jacobabe??” xo
Sounds like a wonderful adventure! So glad you shared the experience. Maybe someday, I’ll have a chance to meet Sam!
It was Ellyn! I hope you do meet Sam one day – he’s a good egg.
Thanks for sharing! “Macbeth” at least 2x! I admire your fortitude. I like some Shakespeare & I usually only go to a play when my nephew’s in it. Ironically, he had to go to a speech therapist as a toddler & now he acts in Shakespeare plays. Go figure.
That’s amazing Donna. Where does he live and perform?
Well, I did opt out of our private tour of Holyroodhouse the following morning, so I could sleep in – I am from hearty stock but I need my sleep eventually!
Wonderful!!!! thank you so very much for sharing this. Regards, Sue Warnke
Thanks for reading Sue! xo
Great article, Courtney!!! I’m still buzzing from seeing Macbeth and seeing Sam again.
Thank you Donna-Marie 😊 Say hi to Robinhood!
What a great experience for all of you. Thank you for sharing your Macbeth Adventure!
My pleasure Joanne – it was an adventure!
Thank you for this lovely review. I like know the progression of the performance from the first showing to the October 15 showing. I think it can only get better as they go along. It does help to have knowledge of the play before viewing. It’s been along time since my high schoo junior year. The cast performance was impressive, Sam standing out. Getting my head around the 1990’s setting was a big switch. Performing to all directions of the theater, including upstairs worked for me. We made a bee line to the stage door… If is wasn’t for my daughter-in-law directing & encouraging me to open the page I wanted Sam to sign & sliding my arm through the crowd, I wouldn’t have got a big, beautiful signature. Yes, If it were possible, I would also like to see the last viewing of the play. It would be interesting to see any changes in the production,.
Hi Linda! You and Liz were a great pair. I’m glad she got you up there for a signature! There was a big crowd that night. Yes, the play didn’t become “set” until October 21st – so six more days of potential tweaks since we saw it. It would be fabulous to see it in its last week. Hi to Liz xo
I thoroughly enjoyed your bts of the tour and your description of the show. I had the privilege of meeting. Sam last year at the ny Comic-Con and the food and whiskey event. Celebrated my 90th birthday and got a picture. With Sam. I look forward To your review of 108 bomb. Safe trip home.
Jean! You absolute rock star!! Happy 91?? Our Episode 108 discussion is out! Please let me know if you need help finding it. It’s in the latest What’s New article, and in the Episode Discussions Tab on the homepage, and on the What’s New tab on the homepage! But I can help if you can’t find those. xo
On October 15th you saw Sam Heughan in MacBeth and I had an infusion of chemotherapy. I am thrilled for you and grateful to be alive. Since July, 2025, I developed symptoms that eventually came to be diagnosed as endometrial ovarian cancer. I have had two of six heavy doses of chemotherapy. I have another infusion next week. My dream of Outlander and Sam has diminished to a nice memory. The life you lead seems like scenes of of a book. I know among your group watching the Scottish Play were women who have survived cancer and other terrible trials. I salute them. I salute you as well. I thank you for bringing a magical world to life for me right before my eyes. You touched my heart repeatedly. You never know the lives you are effecting. I include myself in that group. I would just encourage you to have an extra moment of awareness and for you to be blessed by God in your work and ministry. It is a ministry. It brightens my life. It brightens the lives of untold others. Thank you, Barbara Lindell Longview, TX
Aw Barbara, your comment has brought tears to my eyes. What courage you have, going through your illness and chemo treatment. I am humbled and honored to be of help to you in this trial, even in any small way. Thank you for calling me to an extra moment of awareness around that, and my work. Yes. Wow, a ministry. Humbled again, and complimented. And, I want to say, you are still alive, and you may find yourself doing things you never thought possible in the future, including Outlander and seeing Sam. A million blessings to you as you journey through this part of your life, and emerge anew, may you keep living, today, and always. All my best to you, Courtney
Fantastic descriptions. I felt like I was there. Since I can not travel any longer (for medical reasons) I really enjoy photos and the great writing describing everything. Thanks!
My pleasure Cornelia, I’m really happy you enjoyed it. Take care xo
Thank you so, so much for sharing! For those of us who have never met Sam or will never see the play, it is wonderful to get a vicarious peek into the experience.
I think when the man is a powerhouse, especially at full sail. He’s a truly gifted actor. I imagine that he truly commands the stage when it’s his turn but gives over to the others when they are in the spotlight. At least he seems like that kind of person from a distance.
It must have been incredible to see him in his element.
Your reviews are honest, which I really appreciate.
Thank you Yolie. I agree that Sam is very talented indeed. It was a pleasure to watch him work, and see how much he could adjust. he is a generous scene partner it seems, yes. He is pretty physically imposing for this role – to be believable as a gang leader I would imagine, so hard for him to be in the background! I try to be fair and honest. xo
Thank you for the review! I’ll be there with a friend next week for two performances . We are also staying at the Arden and eating at the Roof Top Restaurant. It was like a little preview of our up coming trip.
Love it Wendy! Have a wonderful time!
Courtney, I can’t imagine a better Shakespeare initiation for you than to be “enthralled” by the performances of Sam, Lia and this cast. Your narrative brings all your readers into the experience, sharing the thrill that we all felt before, during and after the play. Looking forward to the Lassies’ discussion. I’ll echo Conny – Thank You for making this possible. Oh … and I think I could get used to
“Jacobabe.”
🥰😘
I was there at The Other Place for Sam’s performance on October 28th, and as you suggested, he had definitely reached his stride and seemed totally immersed in his role. He did make a lot of eye contact with the audience as you noted. He was a very powerful presence when on stage. I thought he did splendidly. Our audience did not seem to be primarily Outlander fans, although I have to admit that just looking at someone and sizing them up by their age and attire is not very empirical, but I marveled at how many of the towns people seemed to have turned out for Macbeth. Sam did come out of the stage door (with a “security” guard who looked 20 years old, a foot shorter, and not like he could be very effective in case of an incident) after the show and greeted the crowd of about 30 people. He was very gracious and talked to everyone as he signed their programs. He looked like he had just had a workout (staring in Macbeth IS a workout!) but was his charming self. I told him I had come from California to see the play and he said he certainly hoped I had enjoyed the show after taking such a long trip…….
Wonderful to hear your experience Joann, thank you.
I was there at The Other Place for Sam’s performance on October 28th, and as you suggested, he had definitely reached his stride and seemed totally immersed in his role. He did make a lot of eye contact with the audience as you noted. He was a very powerful presence when on stage. I thought he did splendidly. Our audience did not seem to be primarily Outlander fans, although I have to admit that just looking at someone and sizing them up by their age and attire is not very empirical, but I marveled at how many of the towns people seemed to have turned out for Macbeth. Sam did come out of the stage door (with a “security” guard who looked 20 years old, a foot shorter, and not like he could be very effective in case of an incident) after the show and greeted the crowd of about 30 people. He was very gracious and talked to everyone as he signed their programs. He looked like he had just had a workout (staring in Macbeth IS a workout!) but was his charming self. I told him I had come from California to see the play and he said he certainly hoped I had enjoyed the show after taking such a long trip…….