Past Marlowe Productions

Dido Queen of Carthage

This is an archive of past productions of Marlowe's play Dido Queen of Carthage (including adaptations) from 2001 onwards that have all finished. The details and review links may still be of interest.

Madison Children's Museum [2024]

• Play: Dido, Queen of Carthage
• Dates: Friday 28 June to Sunday 30 June 2024.
• Performance Times: Friday at 19:00; Saturday at 17:00 & 19:30; Sunday at 18:00.
• Venue: Madison Children’s Museum, 100 N. Hamilton Street, Madison, WI 53703. [Map & Directions]
• Tickets: Priced $20 available in advance online or $25 on the day of the show.
• Production Photos: Retrospective via YouTube.
• Summary: Madison Shakespeare Company presents Dido, Queen of Carthage written by Christopher Marlowe and directed by Cassie Hankins and Jason Compton, with Madeleine O’Keefe as Dido and Ben Seidensticker as Aeneas. "Madison Shakespeare Company presents a full-length production of Christopher Marlowe's supernatural romantic tragedy. Unbeknownst to Dido (Madeleine O’Keefe), her heart is no longer her own. It is merely one front in an ongoing war between the gods Juno, Jupiter, and Venus. Trojan survivors led by Aeneas (Ben Seidensticker) wash onto Carthage shores, and Venus will sacrifice anything, including Dido's free will, to keep her son safe. Outdoor performances June 28-30 at Madison Children's Museum in the Wonderground: Three evenings of Christopher Marlowe's first play with the Wonderground climber taking center stage — literally. It might not exactly be the set envisioned by the infamous playwright, poet, spy, and member of The School of Night, but Elizabethan London lacked our exhibits team. Owing to the content of this play — the Elizabethans were notoriously bloody-minded — this event is suggested for adults and mature teens."
• Website Links: Madison Shakespeare Company presents Dido, Queen of Carthage at the Madison Children's Museum.

Dido - White Bear, London [2023]

• Play: Dido, Queen of Carthage
• Dates: Tuesday 12 December 2023.
• Performance Time: 19:30.
• Venue: White Bear Theatre, 138 Kennington Park Road, London, SE11 4DJ. [Map & Directions]
• Tickets: Priced £16 | £12 concessions or £45 to see all five plays, available online.
• Summary: The Beyond Shakespeare Winter Revels 2023 presents a live play-reading of Dido, Queen of Carthage written by Christopher Marlowe and Thomas Nashe. "The Beyond Winter Revels, a celebration selection box of shows from our repertoire. From Marlowe's famous tragedy of Dido, through famous historical characters in Cleopatra, via true crime in Arden of Faversham and a gothic proto-horror story in Beware the Cat, to the chaotic comedy of a story that comes to life in Old Wives' Tale – we've a show for you. You can sample one play or, for a discount price, catch them all! Live play readings, recording for the Beyond Shakespeare podcast, for one week only from 12-16 December. Dido, Queen of Carthage: A tragedy of a doomed love affair between the Queen of Carthage and Aeneas, survivor of the Trojan war, who has to choose between love and his destiny, as mapped out by the gods."
• Website Links: Beyond Shakespeare Company presents a live reading of Dido, Queen of Carthage at the White Bear Theatre in Kennington, London as part of The Beyond Winter Revels 2023 - a week of live play-readings.

Howard Theatre, Cambridge [2018]

• Play: Dido, Queen of Carthage
• Dates: Tuesday 05 June to Saturday 09 June 2018 at 19:30.
• Venue: Howard Theatre, Downing College, Regent Street Cambridge CB2 1DQ. [Map]
• Tickets: Available online or from the Box Office (01223 334 860).
• Reviews: Varsity; TCS.
• Summary: Downing Dramatic Society presents Dido, Queen of Carthage written by Christopher Marlowe and directed by Madeleine Trepanier, with Grace Glevey as Dido and Harry Burke as Aeneas. "If he forsake me not, I never die, / For in his looks I see eternity, / And he'll make me immortal with a kiss. Marlowe's visceral, lyrical reworking of Book IV of Virgil's Aeneid breathes new life into this ancient story with the psychological intensity of Elizabethan drama. Troy has been burned to the ground and Aeneas is a prince turned refugee. He and his men are soon shipwrecked and wash up on the shores of Carthage, home to the powerful Dido. In a world of warring gods and clashing empires, the two plunge into a passionate love affair. But as Aeneas faces mounting pressure to follow his destiny and found a new city on Italian soil, Dido fears she will lose everything and resolves to take drastic action."
• Website Links: Downing Dramatic Society presents Dido, Queen of Carthage at the Howard Theatre, Cambridge; Photo.

RSC Swan [2017]

• Play: Dido, Queen of Carthage
• Dates: Friday 15 September to Sunday 28 October 2017 (not continuous).
• Performance Times: Evenings at 7.30pm; Matinees on various days at 1.30pm.
• Venue: The Swan Theatre, RSC, Waterside, Stratford-upon-Avon, Warwickshire, CV37 6BB [Map & Directions].
• Ticket Prices: £16-£47.50; £5 for 16-25 year olds. Reduced price previews 15-18 Sep.
• Reviews: Guardian; Telegraph; The Stage; FT; WhatsOnStage; StageReview; Stratford Herald.
• Summary: The Royal Shakespeare Company presents Dido, Queen of Carthage written by Christopher Marlowe and directed by Kimberley Sykes, with Chipo Chung as Dido and Sandy Grierson as Aeneas. "Aeneas is a refugee in exile, fleeing a war-torn Troy and seeking new roots in Europe. Shipwrecked in Carthage, the meddling gods intervene; they fill Queen Dido with all-consuming love for Aeneas. In Marlowe's unsettling tale of sacrifice, the lovers must decide whether to follow their hearts or fulfil their political destinies. Dido, overwhelmed with passion, is propelled to her terrifying final act. Director Kimberley Sykes (Associate Director, A Midsummer Night's Dream tour 2016) delves into Marlowe's darkly humorous politics of identity and passion and happiness, creating an urgent world where gods meet man, East meets West, sea meets land and fate hangs by an unforgiving thread."
• Website Links: The RSC presents Dido, Queen of Carthage: Feature Video | Photos | Trailer | Carthage Video Diary | Plot | Rehearsals.

Globe Indoor Playhouse [2015]

• Play: Dido, Queen of Carthage
• Dates: 09, 10, 13, 16 April 2015 at 7.30pm; 11 & 18 April 2015 at 2.30pm.
• Venue: Sam Wanamaker Indoor Playhouse at Shakespeare's Globe, 21 New Globe Walk, Bankside, London, SE1 9DT. [Map & Directions]
• Box Office: 020-7401-9919. General Enquiries: See Frequently Asked Questions or ring 020-7902-1400.
• Tickets: Tickets (priced £10 fixed standing position, up to £35) on sale online and at the Box Office.
• Reviews: Partially Obstructed View.
• Summary: The Globe Young Players present Dido, Queen of Carthage written by Christopher Marlowe at The Globe's candle-lit indoor playhouse, directed by Jacqui Somerville. "It is the aftermath of the Trojan war, and Aeneas is wrecked on the coast of Carthage. Dido, queen of a great trading power, is ready to help Aeneas build a second Troy in Italy - until Venus intervenes, and mere cooperation is transformed into a fierce, possessive love. The student Marlowe turned to Virgil's Aeneid, one of the cornerstones of western literature, for his first play, an intense tale of meddling gods, public duty and tragic love. Performed in the 1590s by the Children of the Chapel, Marlowe's exuberant theatrical debut is ideal material for the Globe Young Players, a company of talented 12 to 16-year olds first seen this year in a brilliantly accomplished production of The Malcontent."
• Website Links: Sam Wanamaker Playhouse at The Globe.

Cambridge Marlowe Society 450 Festival [2013]

• Play: Dido, Queen of Carthage
• Performances: Emmanuel College Chapel from Tuesday 12th November to Friday 15th November 2013 at 8pm; Senate House on Saturday 16th November 2013 at 8pm, followed by black tie reception.
• Venue 1: Emmanuel College Chapel, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, CB2 3AP. [Map]
• Venue 2: Senate House, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, University of Cambridge, CB2. [Map]
• Ticket Prices: Emmanuel College Chapel: £16 (Students £8); Senate House: £30 (Students £15).
• Summary: To celebrate the 450th anniversary of the birth of Christopher Marlowe, an illustrious and enigmatic alumnus of the University, the Cambridge Marlowe Society will be staging his complete works across the 2013-14 academic year. The Marlowe Festival begins in November with Dido, Queen of Carthage, directed by Michael Oakley, who won the prestigious JMK Award for young directors for his critically acclaimed production of Edward II at BAC in 2008. "Allegedly written during his time as an undergraduate at Corpus Christi College, Christopher Marlowe's take on Virgil's Aeneid is a thrilling and visceral exploration of the destructive nature of obsessive love. Fleeing from war torn Troy, Aeneas finds himself violently ship wrecked on the shores of Carthage. As two worlds collide - torn between destiny and passion - can the love between Dido and Aeneas survive?"
• Website Links: Cambridge Marlowe Society; Past Performances.

Edward's Boys [2013]

• Play: Dido, Queen of Carthage
• Performance #1: Friday 20 September 2013 at 19:30, with an introductory talk by Andy Kesson.
• Venue #1: Levi Fox Hall, King Edward VI School, Chapel Lane, Stratford-upon-Avon CV37 6BE [Map]
• Performance #2: Saturday 21 September 2013, staged with William Gager's Dido.
• Venue #2: Great Hall, Christ Church College, St Aldate's, Oxford OX1 1DP [Map]
• Tickets: Priced £10 | £5 concessions available online via the Edward's Boys' website.
• Reviews: Dr Brett D. Hirsch (Stratford performance); Peter Kirwan (Bardathon UoN) (Oxford performance).
• Film: A film of the Oxford performance is available on YouTube (1h 15m).
• Summary: Edward's Boys present Dido, Queen of Carthage written by Christopher Marlowe and directed by Perry Mills, with Daniel Wilkinson as Dido, Barnaby Bos as Aeneas, and music by Benjamin Britten. "Edward's Boys, the boys' acting troupe from Shakespeare's King Edward VI school in Stratford-upon-Avon, stage an energetic interpretation of Christopher Marlowe's Dido, Queen of Carthage directed by Perry Mills. Their performance plays upon the traditions of gymnastic training and choirboy music associated with English boys' schools, sweeping together comedy and tragedy in a heady mix."
• Website Links: Edward's Boys present Dido, Queen of Carthage at the King Edward VI School in Stratford, and the Great Hall, Christ Church College, Oxford.

Greenwich Theatre [2013]

• Play: Dido, Queen of Carthage
• Dates: Tuesday 14th May to Saturday 01 June 2013 (not continuous).
• Performance Times: Evenings at 8pm; Matinees at 2.30pm.
• Venue: Greenwich Theatre, Crooms Hill, Greenwich, London, SE10 8ES. [Map & Directions]
• Ticket Prices: £15 or £10 for concessions.
• Buy tickets: Book online or ring the Greenwich Theatre Box Office on 020-8858-7755. [How To Book]
• Reviews: British Theatre Guide; Partially Obstructed View; Entertainment Focus.
• Summary: A Lazarus Theatre Company production of Dido, Queen of Carthage written by Christopher Marlowe and directed by Ricky Dukes with Alice Brown as Dido and Joseph Tweedale as Aeneas. "Troy has fallen. After a bitter and bloody storm the Trojan hero Aeneas and his men seek sanctuary in the city of Carthage where a chance encounter with the city's Queen leads to one of the most explosive love stories ever written. In a world controlled by the Gods, can mere mortal love be enough? This ravishing and bold new adaptation breathes new life into one of Marlowe's greatest works. Infusing the text with movement and music, a large ensemble present Dido Queen of Carthage in repertory alongside King Lear, Shakespeare's greatest tragedy, marking Lazarus' debut at Greenwich Theatre."
• Website Links: The Lazarus Theatre Company presents Dido Queen of Carthage at the Greenwich Theatre.

The Rose on Bankside [2013]

• Play: Dido, Queen of Carthage
• Dates: Wednesday 06 March to Sunday 31 March 2013.
• Performance Times: Tuesday to Saturday evenings at 7.30pm; Sunday matinee at 3pm.
• Venue: The Rose Theatre, Bankside, 56 Park Street, London, SE1 9AS [Map]. Nearest Station: London Bridge.
• Ticket Prices: £12 or £10 for concessions (Friends of The Rose, OAP, Student or Equity).
• Buy tickets: Book online or ring the Rose Theatre Box Office on 020-7261-9565.
• Reviews: British Theatre Guide; SoSoGay Magazine.
• Summary: A House on the Hill Production of Dido, Queen of Carthage written by Christopher Marlowe and directed by Alex Pearson and Jeremy Smith, with Rhiannon Sommers as Dido and James Burgess as Aeneas. After the fall of Troy, Aeneas and his men land on Carthage on their way to Lavinium, where they are offered food and shelter by Queen Dido. An intense love affair ensues between Dido and Aeneas, leaving their fates in the hands of the Gods - a classical story of destiny, fate and love in this brilliant and intimate production. "This was Marlowe's first play and was written while he was still studying at Cambridge; it was first published in 1594. As we rehearsed and became more and more familiar with the text, we began to notice similarities and common themes with Marlowe's later works, and even with Shakespeare's plays. The imagery and themes that Marlowe uses in this play have similarities to Dr Faustus, Hamlet and even A Midsummer Night's Dream." [House on the Hill - Programme Notes]
• Website Links: The Rose website.

ASC, Staunton VA [2012]

• Play: Dido, Queen of Carthage
• Dates: Wednesday 14 March to Saturday 07 April 2012.
• Venue: Blackfriars Playhouse, 10 South Market St, Staunton, VA 24401 [Map & Directions]
• Tickets: Available online or from the box office (540-851-1733).
• Reviews: Marina Favila (Cahiers Élisabéthains: A Journal of English Renaissance Studies, Issue 82 - September 2012); Eric Minton (Shakespeareances.com).
• Summary: The American Shakespeare Center presents Dido, Queen of Carthage written by Christopher Marlowe as part of their 2012 Actors' Renaissance Season, with Sarah Fallon as Dido and Rene Thornton Jr as Aeneas, and performed by an ensemble cast without a director. "Arriving in Carthage after the fall of his beloved city, the Trojan hero Aeneas begins a passionate and dangerous love affair with Queen Dido. Unknown to the lovers, the gods are pulling their strings - with disastrous results. Part Antony and Cleopatra, part A Midsummer Night's Dream, and part The Tempest - Dido, Queen of Carthage is Marlowe's ravishing take on Virgil's Aeneid."
• Website Links: The American Shakespeare Center presents Dido, Queen of Carthage at the Blackfriars Playhouse in Staunton, VA | 360°View of Blackfriars Playhouse | Interview with Greg Phelps who played Cupid & Ganymede.

National Theatre [2009]

• Play: Dido, Queen of Carthage
• Date: Tuesday 17 March 2009 to Tuesday 02 June 2009 (not continuous).
• Performance Times: 19:30; Matinees at 14:30 on Saturdays and selected midweek dates.
• Venue: Cottesloe Theatre, National Theatre, South Bank, London SE1 9PX. [Map & Directions]
• Tickets: £10 to £29 bookable online or by phone from the NT Box Office (020 3989 5455) [Ticket Booking FAQ].
• Reviews: Guardian; Independent; The Stage; British Theatre Guide; Chris Butler (Early Modern Literary Studies 15.1 - 2009-10); Peter Kirwan (Bardathon UoN); Andrew Duxfield (Shakespeare 5.3 - September 2009); West End Whingers; Interval Drinks; Curtain Up.
• Summary: National Theatre production of Dido, Queen of Carthage written by Christopher Marlowe and directed by James Macdonald, with Anastasia Hille as Dido, Mark Bonnar as Aeneas, and Siobhan Redmond as Venus. "Seeking refuge from a violent storm, Aeneas lands on the shores of Carthage where Queen Dido, moved by his retelling of the fall of Troy and bewitched by a malevolent Cupid, soon burns with love. Their ensuing passion, manipulated by the watching, warring gods, can only end in tragedy. Written when he was an undergraduate, the wit, the daring and the sheer poetry of Christopher Marlowe's first play were so new and exciting in English theatre that Hamlet was still talking about it seventeen years later."
• Website Links: National Theatre website, and read their Dido, Queen of Carthage Resource Pack based around the production.

Kensington Palace [2008]

• Play: Dido, Queen of Carthage
• Date: Friday 01 February to Saturday 23 February 2008.
• Venue: Kensington Palace State Apartments, Kensington Gardens W8 4PX London. [Map & Directions]
• Reviews: Independent; Times [£]; Evening Standard; British Theatre Guide; Curtain Up; Arcades Project.
• Summary: A site-specific performance in the Kensington Palace State Apartments by Angels in the Architecture of Dido, Queen of Carthage written by Christopher Marlowe and directed by Rebecca McCutcheon, with Sarah Thom as Dido and Jake Maskall as Aeneas. Marlowe's rarely performed early play is brilliantly staged by the innovative Angels in the Architecture (founded by Thom and McCutcheon), the action playing out through a sequence of twelve state apartments in Kensington Palace with the audience in tow. At one point, two contemporaneous scenes are played out simultaneously in different rooms, with the audience divided. The Angels first adapted the play for performance in The House of St Barnabas in Soho two years earlier, but here get to play in a far larger and more opulent setting, more befitting of a Queen. "The audience are intruders to this grandeur and elegance, which cleverly parallels the Trojans' experience as they enter the royal Carthaginian court as dispossessed aliens. When Aeneas declares "This place beseems me not", the audience feel much the same."
• Website Links: Kensington Palace website; Rebecca McCutcheon revisits Dido ten years on.

Cambridge MA [2005]

• Play: Dido, Queen of Carthage
• Dates: Saturday 05 March to Saturday 26 March 2005.
• Venue: Loeb Drama Center, 64 Brattle Street, Cambridge, MA 02138 [Map]
• Tickets: Priced $10 to $72 available from the Box Office (617-547-8300).
• Reviews: Variety; Diana E. Henderson (Shakespeare Bulletin, 23.4 - Winter 2005); Mary-Kay Gamel (American Journal of Philology 126.4 - Winter 2005); Boston Phoenix; Tufts Daily; Harvard Crimson; South Coast Today.
• Summary: The American Repertory Theater presents Dido, Queen of Carthage written by Christopher Marlowe and directed by Neil Bartlett, with Diane D'Aquila as Dido and Colin Lane as Aeneas. "Dido, Queen of Carthage is a work of astonishing invention, and perhaps the first masterpiece of the English stage. Marlowe's play tells of the tragic infatuation of Queen Dido for Aeneas, heroic survivor of the Trojan War and future founder of Rome. As the heartless gods of Mount Olympus look on unmoved, Cupid wreaks havoc in the hearts and minds of his all-too-human victims. Marlowe wrote Dido, Queen of Carthage in 1585, at the beginning of his meteoric rise through the underworld of Elizabethan London. Writing with all the fierce recklessness of a twenty-one year old, Marlowe proposes a theater whose only rule is beauty, a world whose only law is desire. Directed by the former Artistic Director of the Lyric Hammersmith in London, Neil Bartlett, and designed by his close collaborator Rae Smith, Dido, Queen of Carthage features live baroque music. "Make me immortal with a kiss!" - Dido"
• Website Links: The American Repertory Theater presents Dido, Queen of Carthage at the Loeb Drama Center in Cambridge MA | Introduction by Gideon Lester | Interview with Neil Bartlett | Production Photos.

New York [2004]

• Play: Dido, Queen of Carthage
• Dates: Wednesday 14 July to Saturday 31 July 2004.
• Venue: Outdoor Theatre, 314 West 54th St, New York, 10019 [Map]
• Tickets: Details unknown.
• Reviews: Rachel Wifall (Shakespeare Bulletin 23.2 - Summer 2005).
• Summary: The American Theater of Actors presents Dido, Queen of Carthage written by Christopher Marlowe and directed by Jeff S. Dailey, with Morgan Antoinette Nevans as Dido and Owen Panettieri as Aeneas. "This play tells the story of how Dido, the queen of Carthage (in what is now Tunisia), falls in love with the Trojan warrior Aeneas, who, having fled the burning Troy, has set off to establish the city of Rome. What does a hero do when distracted by a beautiful woman? Will he stay in Carthage or move on to Italy? The play reveals the answers to these and other questions. Jeff Dailey directs."
• Website Links: The American Theater of Actors presents Dido, Queen of Carthage at the Outdoor Theatre in New York.

Shakespeare's Globe [2003]

• Play: Dido, Queen of Carthage
• Dates: Friday 06 June to Monday 18 August 2003.
• Performance Times: 19:30; Matinees at 14:30.
• Venue: Shakespeare's Globe, 21 New Globe Walk, Bankside, London, SE1 9DT. [Map & Directions]
• Reviews: Guardian; Independent; Times; Telegraph; Shakespeare Bulletin (with cast list); British Theatre Guide; What's On Stage; Curtain Up.
• Summary: The Company of Men and Women presents Dido, Queen of Carthage written by Christopher Marlowe and directed by Tim Carroll, with Rakie Ayola as Dido and Will Keen as Aeneas. "Shakespeare's Globe is set to make this a late spring/early summer of 'Regime Change' in Bankside, with a season of Shakespeare-era plays on the subject. Mark Rylance, the award-winning artistic director of the Globe, said "this season explores changes of power on three levels: in the state, in marriage and in man's relationship with the divine. The rarely played Dido, Queen of Carthage proposes that all our changes may be responses to divine influences." In the wake of a change of regime in Troy, the Gods are busy re-establishing order among their human subjects. Concerned for the well-being of Aeneas and his men, who are shipwrecked and beseiged at sea by storms after fleeing Troy, Aeneas' mother Venus persuades Jupiter to give the sufferers some respite. With his fellow survivors, Aeneas arrives on the strange African coast of Carthage. Haunted by the treachery and misery of the Trojans' defeat, he is greeted by the beautiful Queen Dido. At the contrivance of Venus and her son Cupid, Dido and Aeneas begin a passionate romance."
• Website Links: The Company of Men and Women presents Dido, Queen of Carthage at Shakespeare's Globe | Stage Photo | Director Tim Carroll on BBC Radio 4's Woman's Hour.

New York [2001]

• Play: Dido, Queen of Carthage
• Dates: Wednesday 17 January to Saturday 24 February 2001
• Performance Times: Tuesday to Saturday 8.00pm; Sunday 3.00pm and 7.00pm.
• Venue: The Ohio Theatre, 66 Wooster St, New York, NY 10012 [Map - theatre closed in 2009]
• Tickets: Priced $15 available from the Box Office.
• Reviews: New York Times; Brian Walsh (Shakespeare Bulletin 19.2 - Spring 2001); TheaterMania; CurtainUp; New York Theatre Wire.
• Summary: Target Margin Theatre presents Dido, Queen of Carthage written by Christopher Marlowe and directed by David Herskovits, with Nicole Halmos as Dido and Adrian LaTourell as Aeneas. "Dido, Queen of an exotic coastal land, rescues pious Aeneas, and restores him to princely splendor. Dido is building stately Carthage. Aeneas is destined to found eternal Rome. Could the two not fall in love? Will her passionate pleas fail to hold him to her breast? Will he really leave? Their epic loves seems sure, until Venus and Cupid lend a hand…"
• Website Links: Target Margin Theater presents Dido, Queen of Carthage at the Ohio Theatre, New York | Poster | Production Photo.