Review: ‘Macbeth’ – How exactly should we tackle Shakespeare in 2016?

Surrounded by the cheers of rowdy school children the curtain rose to reveal a long black dark tunnel, sloping upwards and inwards on all four sides to create a 3D effect. Upon first glance it seemed like a cinematic screening of Macbeth with strobe lighting flashing momentarily to reveal scenes of torture. This radical interpretation of one of Shakespeare’s most exhilarating plays gave us a lot to think about but did it really say much?

The military jumpsuits, violence, torture and executions were uncomfortably indicative of the current geopolitical situation. Shocking and thought provoking, they certainly added an exciting edge to the play. The numerous groups of school children seemed excited and moved by the action and the gruesome violence certainly forced us to look at the play in relation to our contemporary world.

an array of dancing convulsed bodies filled the stage nearing closer and closer

The production blended theatre and dance into an exhilarating synthesis. The witches were dressed in nude death like body stockings and their choreography became increasingly convulsed throughout the play as Macbeth’s madness grew. There was a cinematic feel to the play as a whole with the torture and supernatural aspects playing out like scenes of a horror film. In the last moments of the production an array of dancing convulsed bodies filled the stage nearing closer and closer as the dead Banquo delivered his lines through a hanging microphone and Macbeth lay stooped over in the corner.

However, despite these very forced, radical elements the play still presented us with many blank ambiguities to think about. The set itself constantly transformed itself swiftly into various things: a battleground, a castle, a dining room, a murder scene. The bare grey walls forced us to imagine the action and interpret the play for ourselves. The long black tied up bags which initially seemed like heavy body bags were later picked up by the witches and thrown to the back like sand bags. Nothing in the play seemed solid or tangible, everything belonged to a metaphoric world of violence, torture and the supernatural.

this production makes Shakespeare stimulating, shocking and absolutely relevant to our contemporary world

Whilst these elements made the production incredibly exciting and stimulating there was a sense that this had been created at the expense of the play as a text. Many of the lines were spoken very quickly, especially by Lady Macbeth, and certain sections were extremely hard to hear above the clamour of sirens, wailing and violence. John Heffernan and Anna Maxwell Martin as Macbeth and Lady Macbeth were enticing and captivating but seemed to be the only characters who left a lasting impression, with the rest of the Scottish nobility blending into one militaristic violent memory with no clear sense of characterization. From a textual standpoint it seemed as if the play’s themes had been capitalized on and depicted at the expense of the play as a literary text.

But how exactly should we tackle Shakespeare in 2016? Of course there is no right answer to that but ultimately Carrie Cracknell and Lucy Guerin did a good job. They seized on the crucial themes that lie at the heart of the play and depicted them theatrically and visually in new and exciting ways. Many critics remain dissatisfied with this radical way of approaching Shakespeare but ultimately this production makes Shakespeare stimulating, shocking and absolutely relevant to our contemporary world and the younger spectators certainly left with a sense excitement and interest.