Macbeth Archives - North West End UK

8Mar

By Damian RiverolNo Comments

Wales

Macbeth – Storyhouse

Adapted and directed by Jamie Sophia Fletcher, Shakespeare has returned to Storyhouse with a fresh, bold and ambitious telling of Macbeth. We also see the return of the thrust configuration within the theatre which sees the stage area built out over the original stalls and creates a more intimate space where the audience surround three sides of the stage and feel even more involved with the story being told, with cast occasionally entering through the audience, inviting us in a little closer. The stage is pretty bare except for some strip lighting hanging down at different levels above the stage area and ‘Something wicked this way comes’ written all across the floor. The lighting is a huge part of this production, used to differentiate different families or groups, each with their own l...

6Mar

By Paul WilcoxNo Comments

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...

12Feb

By Jackie FoottitNo Comments

Yorkshire & Humber

Macbeth – Hull Truck Theatre

Macbeth, aka The Scottish Play, got off to an explosive start on Tuesday evening, as part of its run at the Hull Truck Theatre. An insider informant - who I will call “Jay” for the purpose of this review - revealed to me pre-show that we theatregoers were in for a thrilling time. And, my goodness, “Jay” was absolutely right. The plain (but extremely effective) stage setting gave no hint of what was to come. The stage floor was level with the audience’s walkway and comprised mottled grey “stone” sections surrounding a drain cover. The backdrop consisted of misshapen doorways, an industrial staircase and a mezzanine revealing more doors. All dimly lit by overhead metal lamps. A large central opening was hung with wide plastic strips through which most of the action took place....

20Sep

By Angela KellyNo Comments

North West

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 a...

11Aug

By Danielle FarrowNo Comments

Scotland

Macbeth @ ZOO Southside

It isn’t really the done thing to start a review by simply quoting from the show’s blurb, but here it is - and why? Because The Barden Party absolutely delivers on what it promises: “A thrilling, saucy rendition of Shakespeare's classic tragedy, Macbeth… with a sassy, sexy bluegrass flair… transforming Macbeth into an unforgettable experience full of music, mischief and magic.” ( Read in full here: www.edfringe.com/tickets/whats-on/macbeth ) The Thane of Fife’s relationship with the throne of Scotland unfolds with all the glorious language, tension and moments of humour that makes “the Scottish play” so popular, augmented by song (something that previous centuries have also seen). Macbeth’s ambition is spurred along by her crown-focused husband and the Wyrd Brothers’ witchcraft - most p...

31Jul

By Paul DownhamNo Comments

London

Macbeth – Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew

Arriving in London from a sold-out season in Melbourne, The Australian Shakespeare Company brings Macbeth to the beautiful Royal Botanic Gardens in Kew. Played outdoors, the sun sets, and darkness encroaches as much as it does within Macbeth providing a haunting atmosphere. Hugh Sexton and Nicole Nabout as Macbeth and Lady Macbeth have strong chemistry and a magnetism between them, helping the relationship feel absolutely real. Sexton shines in the big moments, his ‘and tomorrow’ soliloquy is a highlight. Nabout really sells Lady Macbeth's journey into madness. Both excel as the story goes on and they move from their shared ambition into isolation and guilt. While the grief of Macduff is well presented by Jackson McGovern, a little more time would have been appreciated in particular ...

20Jun

By Adam WilliamsNo Comments

North West

Macbeth – Hope Mill Theatre

Sometimes you see a piece of theatre and it just blows you away. This production was inventive, audacious and stunningly theatrical. Theatrical seems an odd thing to write in a theatre review. Surely all theatre is theatrical. Yet, the fashion these days is to shun theatricality, to underplay, to minimise. Thankfully, the directors of this play were not afraid to create a spectacle. Fittingly, for a play where bewitchment is central to the plot, they created magic in a very small space. From the start, there was dynamism, vivacity, verve and brio which grabbed the attention. And it did not let up. There was a briskness to the direction which gave the play its vim and vigour. It was so compelling that you could not take your eyes off the action. It was co-directed by Amy Gavin and Han...

6Jun

By Jan MellorNo Comments

North West

Macbeth – Shakespeare North Playhouse

Dark, scary and foreboding. The three words that summarise the Shakespearean masterpiece. The tale of greed, malice and murder shown in the magnificent theatre at Prescott - it’s very foundations from the times that the original plays were performed. The set was thick with an eerie mist as the audience entered the round theatre, and as the play started, we were put into pitch blackness with only the sound of eerie sighs and moans from ghouls, surrounding us as the play began. It was immediately atmospheric and as the first scene opened – a bare stage with only a tin bath at it’s centre - we were immediately transfixed. A woman is carried to the bath, her gown covered in blood and in this bath, she miscarries her baby. Screams from the woman fill the theatre. This is not for the fain...

1Jun

By Greg HolsteadNo Comments

Scotland

Macbeth – Traquair House Gardens

Shakespeare at Traquair has become something of an institution, this year marking the 30th anniversary for the talented troupe of amateur actors and volunteers who bring a different bard play to life each year. This is the third outing of ‘the Scottish Play’, performed promenade style in the grounds of the ancient building, claimed to be the oldest continually inhabited house in Scotland. Each scene is set in a different location in the grounds; amongst towering trees, against giant billowing rhododendrons, on great lawns and ancient cobbled stable yards and in one particularly effective scene, amongst the twisted limbs of a yew tree clearing as daylight dwindled. Add to this, the weird soundscape of electronica, grinding gears or static fuzz, or banging doors from carefully placed speaker...

28Mar

By Katy GilroyNo Comments

North West

Macbeth – Floral Pavilion

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 m...