Macbeth

As the audience finds a patch of lawn to sit on, the three witches skulk about looking like Tiktok goth girls showing off their wedding dress dyeing skills. In fact all the costumes look like they come from a school play, which makes it all the more magical when the dialogue begins. Suddenly, the witches movement and voices become mesmerizing and you are transported to the world of the play.

With increasingly howling wind, a flock of corellas circling ominously, two of whom settled on a window ledge and heckled loudly, and at one point what sounded like a collision on a nearby road, this opening night had a lot of unpredictable distractions to deal with on top what you would expect of the outdoor setting and relaxed audience. But it cut through all that, by marrying superb dramatic performances with elements of pantomime, thriller, and farce. Jordan Best has brought her comic sensibilities to her direction, setting the pace to frenetic and inserting in jokes and wry touches throughout.

Isaac Reilly’s Macbeth initially seems empathic and loyal, but he doesn’t take a lot of convincing to reveal his inner soulless, arrogant psychopath. Lainie Hart’s Lady Macbeth is stunning and multilayered. She hides her ruthlessness from her victim-to-be with complete charm before being completely undone by a conscience she is unaware of. Like much of the scenes involving hand movement, Ms Hart’s handwashing scene is utterly beguiling.

The rest of the cast are all great. Given the rollicking pace there’s not a huge amount of room for emotional nuance, but there are  gorgeous emotional touches, like Duncan’s tears of relief on his victory and Macduff’s grief and rage on hearing of the death of his family (stellar performances by Max Gambale and Paul Sweeney respectively).

Add to this comic touches like wooden swords, a slightly ridiculous Banquo’s ghost (Lachlan Ruffy) jump scaring Macbeth at the dinner table, a bag supposedly holding a decapitated head bouncing far more than it should have, and the audience being given gum branches to wave, and we virtually were cheering Macbeth’s demise by the end.

Lakespeare’s Macbeth is an absolute romp. Bring some wine, some food and a picnic rug and get ready to rattle that foliage.

Cathy Bannister

Images: Photox