Macbeth

I will not explain this well-known storyline, other than to say that the setting is as Shakespeare intended. It is the North of Scotland in the years 1050-57, where a fight for the Scottish throne is taking place between Duncan, Macbeth, and Malcolm.

   Over the next few months, this production will tour the WA costal towns from Mandurah to Esperance, so, by necessity, the set is virtually nil. However, with totally authentic, quality costumes and dramatic lighting (Aaron Stirk), the atmosphere was quite powerful.
   In this production, director Stephen Lee has tackled the script head on, and created a gripping drama.
     The minor weak points. ‘Glamis’ is pronounced Glamz not Glam-is. ‘Hecate’ is Heck-a-tee not heck-ate.

The multiple and appropriate noises-off were all live, and of a generally high standard, but the thunder sheet should be tapped in the centre with the fingertips (especially if it is the shorter version), as if it is shaken it sounds like a sheet of metal being shaken. At the start of the play, one or two of the males’ passages were delivered too quickly and without enough enunciation, this was aggravated by the complex Shakespearean prose and the lack of a solid set – the backcloth adsorbing much of the diction. I realise this was opening night and that this talented team will have the problems sorted quickly.

The good points. After all of the contemporary versions that have been around, it was good to see this play ‘au naturel’. Lighter pieces of Shakespeare, such as ‘Romeo and Juliet’ and ‘Midsummer night’s dream’ can become alive with a fresh modern-day approach. With true history like ‘Macbeth’, to capture the full conflict and insight of the troubled minds of the characters – perhaps I am old fashioned or because this area of Scotland was my home territory – but the original approach is the only way.
Repeatedly in productions of Macbeth there is an abundance of tartan, which was developed centuries later, here the drab plaids were the authentic natural colours of the plants used to dye them were spot-on. Congratulations to Meredith Ford.
Very often, Macbeth is incorrectly portrayed as a strong character from the opening scene, whereas he was actually a timid being, gradually going through a phase of confusion, strength, and finally megalomania. David Meadows displayed this transformation with skill.
The complex character of Lady Macbeth was captured beautifully by Angelique Malcolm. Dan Luxton convincingly showed the power of Macduff turn to grief as ‘his chickens died’. The highlight for the young audience was Stephen Lee’s Porter scene, probably the best I have seen, as often it is simply depicted as a miserable old gateman with little humour exhibited.

This was an excellent production; clearly depicted by a hard working talented cast (others included Ian Bolgia, James Davies, and Olivia Hogan). Convincing sword fights (Andy Fraser) – so authentic, that the lady in the front row almost died at Macbeth’s hand too, as Macduff landed on top of her.