Scotland

Macbeth: Sleep No More – The Space @ Niddrie Street

A cleverly shortened and in places rewritten version of the Scottish Play which takes nothing away from its power and fascination, performed very nicely by a four female cast, in what is normally a male heavy production.

All four actresses do very well to play a screed of different characters, but none shines brighter than Victoria Adler, who is scintillating in whichever body she is inhabiting. Alder’s sword fighting scene with Amy Floyd’s slightly pedestrian Macbeth is one of the highlights of the whole show, with audience members visibly shrinking back and pulling up legs from the thrusting and whirling bodies as the contest progresses to its inevitable bloody climax. Absolutely riveting stuff!

Perhaps a bit more cut and thrust in the lines department would not have gone amiss either and the more mature members of this cast might take a lead from the younger Adler’s delivery.

The performance experience is comfortable and the stage well-proportioned albeit with some minor issues with lighting and glare in the audience eyes, which should be attended to with some minor adjustments.

All in all, a decent stab, a fast-flowing reworking, this is certainly a version well worth seeing and an interesting addition to the Macbeth canon.

Running time – 1hr 20mins

Reviewer: Greg Holstead

Reviewed: 10th August 2023

North West End UK Rating:

Rating: 3 out of 5.
Greg Holstead

Recent Posts

All’s Well That Ends Well – Sam Wanamaker Playhouse

All's Well is a tricky play for both performers and audience as the plot is…

24 minutes ago

The Rock ‘n’ Roll Panto 2024: Rapunzel – Everyman Theatre

Especially at this time of year, you can’t beat a panto. The beauty of this…

37 minutes ago

It’s a Wonderful Life – St Mary’s Creative Space

Disley Theatrical Productions return to St Mary’s Creative Space with the Christmas Classic, It’s a…

51 minutes ago

101 Dalmatians – Edinburgh Playhouse

This musical is very much a children’s entertainment, so it’s therefore surprising that it runs…

19 hours ago

It’s a Wonderful Life – Liverpool’s Royal Court Studio

I was glad to see how busy it was in the Studio for this production.…

19 hours ago

A Christmas Carol – Birmingham Rep

Vanity publishing, which in recent years has metamorphosed into the far more respectable “self-publishing”, was…

1 day ago