Macbeth – The Grange Theatre

On a damp and dark evening in September, rather suitably, Macbeth is gracing the stage at The Grange Theatre in Hartford. Directed by Thomas Frith and assisted by Ben Simon, the performance of one of Shakespeare’s finest tragedy’s is always a brave undertaking by any company.

With a simple setting consisting of the points of a very large, upturned crown as a backdrop, that at times also formed part of the woods and even the castle, the stage as a visual was extremely effective. Sound on entering the theatre enticed the audience with consistent sounds of a drum beating at regular intervals, setting the scene perfectly and heightened the anticipation of what was to follow. Emily Stone as Sound designer must be congratulated for this.

Matt Concannon performed the part of Macbeth and did so to an impressive standard.  He took command of the stage in every scene, even when Macbeths emotional fragility in the second act was becoming more apparent. The scene following the murder of Banquo displayed quality from Concannon, through a sense of internal desperation as he became immediately haunted because of his actions.

Daneka Etchells played the part of Lady Macbeth and was simply outstanding. Her haunting, frantic sleepwalking as she visibly ‘lost her mind’ before us in reliving the cold-blooded murder that had occurred was difficult to watch without some sense of empathy. The confidence Etchells expressed on stage through her pauses and use of silence in certain scenes was powerful to watch.

Ben Simon played a very strong Macduff. The dramatic character shift he displayed following the news he received about his wife and children was powerful. He remained a patriotic nobleman yet the grief and pain he displayed on stage caused immediate vengeance and the audience could sense the fight that was about to occur as he returned to Scotland.

Lamin Touray performed as an excellent Banquo – almost who you would imagine him to be in many ways. Tourays ‘Ghost of Banquo’ scene was terrifying for Macbeth and Touray interacted well with Cocannon providing a shift in Macbeths demeanour from this point.

A special mention must also be given to Isobel Coward who performed as Ross and Donalbain. Her strong performance as Ross demonstrated the ability that a seemingly lesser character in the play has in moving the story on.

This particular performance of Macbeth by such a group of highly gifted North-west actors was slick and intended to ‘deliver life’ to the story. It achieved this in abundance. With a stage that was very close to the audience it added extra intensity for all. A particularly pleasing element of the entire play was the strong psychological element of the tale that added to the quality of all actors on stage.

The Grange Theatres production of Shakespeare’s Macbeth was quite simply an outstanding success. It was a slick production that had all the ingredients to perform this haunting tragedy but had so much more too. Displaying the appropriate level of psychological distress, the entire cast left nothing off the stage.

Macbeth can be seen at The Grange Theatre until October 4th, and tickets can be purchased from www.thegrangetheatre.com  

Reviewer: Angela Kelly

Reviewed: 19th September 2025

North West End UK Rating: