The Scottish Play blew into the Floral Pavilion in New Brighton in a fresh new way thanks to Revision on Tour, allowing GCSE students to immerse themselves into one of Shakespeare’s most famous tragedies.
Dickens Theatre Company say “Revision on Tour does exactly what it says on the tin – offering ALL students the chance to experience the texts they have been studying in class in a beautiful theatre, performed by professional actors. During those crucial revision months, we tour the UK with our unique adaptations – staying true to the original texts but performed in an accessible & engaging way, bringing high-quality theatrical experiences to young people, students, teachers, parents and all lovers of English literature.”
If you were attending as a regular theatre goer, you might have been disappointed in the performance – which strays from the original production by adding a narrator, and by utilising only six actors to perform the multitude of fantastic characters written into Macbeth. The narrator was full of charisma, and nudged the plot along with his witty rhymes, but it was of course not what you’d expect from a typical rendition of this particular play.
However, for GCSE students trying to get to grips with Shakespearean narratives and the use of particular literary devices, the performance is likely one that inspires. The cast did a good job of bringing the characters to life, performing the story from the heart and taking it from words on paper to something much more real and understandable.
It’s difficult to say whether this was a good performance of the Scottish Play, given how far it strays from any sort of ‘original’ version of the tragedy, but there were some aspects that were hard to overlook for sure. The cast of six, of course, each played multiple characters – not unusual in the thespian world, of course, but here the costume changes that were intended to differentiate the characters were far too subtle. If one was already struggling to follow a Shakespearian storyline, this would likely have made it even more puzzling.
Overall, for GCSE students, this might be worth a watch – it’s certainly an interesting way to instil the story, rather than reading it from a book. However, if you’re not of school age then it’s probably one to miss…
Reviewer: Katy Gilroy
Reviewed: 27th March 2025
North West End UK Rating:
Rating: 3 out of 5.
Tour dates: https://www.dickenstheatrecompany.co.uk/macbeth