Sunday, March 15

Tag: Alvin-Wilson

Macbeth – Octagon Theatre
North West

Macbeth – Octagon Theatre

Over four hundred years since it was written and first performed, Shakespeare’s Macbeth still proves to be the quintessential study of guilt, paranoia and vaulting ambition. With this modern-dress version of the tragedy, Director Mark Babych produces an accessible and clear rendition of the text that emphasises the domestic trauma of the central couple at the expense of the wider political context of the play. When watching and reviewing any Macbeth, my interest always centres around the decision a director takes to emphasise certain key themes inherent in the text. Will they choose to focus on the political, martial or domestic elements that conspire to push the eponymous character from warrior hero at the outset towards bloody regicide and insecurity, culminating in his fatalistic dea...
Now I See – Stratford East
London

Now I See – Stratford East

In a unique fusion of movement, music and text, “Now, I See” takes audiences on a vibrant, emotional journey through the joys and pains of being black and male in contemporary Britain. Directed, choreographed and written by Lanre Malaolu, this 130-min nugget offers a luscious dive into male consciousness and the culture that shapes childhood adventures and a man’s ability to choose his narrative later in life. Fans of Suzan-Lori Parks’ “Topdog/Underdog” should feel right at home. The story centres on three brothers, and the aftermath of the middle one’s death, Adeyeye, from sickle cell disease. His passing leaves big brother Kieron and youngest brother Dayo grappling with their grief and searching for a way forward. History, big and small, has not been kind to either and the brothers’ c...