Barbican courts controversy with a bad-ass take on the Bard

A version of Macbeth fuelled by sex and violence will be the first of the Bard's works to be performed at the Barbican since the Royal Shakespeare Company decamped from the theatre last year. The notorious Catalan director Calixto Bieito will reinterpret the Scottish play with bloody scenes of necrophilia and cunnilingus.

Bieito's version of Verdi's A Masked Ball at the English National Opera 12 months ago included scenes of gay rape and transvestism and was blamed for the departure of Nicholas Payne, the ENO's general director, after the controversy deterred audiences. Bieito's inclusion in the coming season has already resulted in one member of the public asking for their name to be removed from Barbican mailing lists.

Louise Jeffreys, the head of theatre, said yesterday that she hoped the production would attract a younger audience. "It was exciting in Barcelona last year watching it with an audience of young people absolutely riveted," she said. "We are trying to provoke, but not in an unpleasant way. Some of the old audience won't like what we're doing and some of them will find it fascinating. The plays are indestructible – which is not to suggest that Calixto is trying to destroy them."

Bieito's Macbeth takes a contemporary setting that is vaguely lower-class mafioso. It will be performed for three nights from 8 April in Catalan with English surtitles, then for two nights from 11 April in Castilian.

Ms Jeffreys said there was a strong moral sense in the work. "When you see the children in this piece, you almost want to weep. They're playing with guns and drinking alcohol and you know the cycle of violence will go on," she said.