Macbeth

The Tragedy of Macbeth, known as Shakespeare's “Scottish Play," weaves a tale of murder, treachery, and madness, as Macbeth and Lady Macbeth plot to kill King Duncan after Macbeth hears the witches’ prophecy about his impending kingship.

The play opens as always with the three sister witches encircling each other in a mysterious aura, dressed in draping gossamer black hooded gowns, writhing on the ground as prophecies move through them into the real world. Jasna Mars, Poppy Cozens and Julia Burns are mesmerising in these roles and their commitment to their divinations creates a plausible and convincing foreboding of events to come. They are chilling as their slow, strange and deliberate movements and utterances add to the apprehension they create.

Director John Grinston uses an effective device having a number of cast sitting in stillness upstage on stone blocks. There are a myriad of short quick scenes in this play and Grinston uses this mechanism to ensure the large cast can enter and exit scenes quickly without having to repeatedly move on and off the stage. While this is a clever directorial choice for most of the play, having cast members already on the stage during the opening scene was a distraction from the shadowy dimness, dark mood and enigmatic atmosphere required in the witches’ cave.

The ever-reliable stalwart, David Stewart-Hunter as Duncan, portrays him as a grateful and benevolent king who trusts in his generals, including Macbeth, particularly as they have just vanquished the Norwegians. While basking in the glory of this successful campaign he fails to see the treachery developing around him.

Jack Taylor puts in a solid, masculine and energetic performance as Macbeth and his strong stage presence helps to convey the power of this character.  The light and shade of Macbeth’s story arc could be more nuanced as he grapples with fear, exuberance, doubt, guilt and madness. These emotional states should be further explored to enhance greater differentiation from the ever present, heightened anger that Taylor does so well.

And so Duncan and his entourage arrive at the home of Macbeth to an eager Lady Macbeth played by Yvette Gillies, who has already learned of the witches’ prophecy of Macbeth’s ascension to throne and is keen to see it to fruition. Gillies is a beautiful ethereal presence on stage, ever calm but oh so manipulative. Her performance demonstrates gravitas and steals every scene. Special note must be made of her graceful stage movement and the malevolent stillness she captures, even in her madness. Her hand positioning and movements are exquisite and is a reminder of their bloodied treachery. Gillies is an actor of great skill in this role.

We also meet Dimitri Armatas who plays Macbeth’s friend and war comrade, Banquo, who despite his own demise lives on in his many descendants, again confirming the prophecy.  Armatas plays Banquo as a genuinely loyal friend and ally to Macbeth, whose betrayal by Macbeth is felt all the more for this steady and intelligent interpretation.

There were a number of standout performances including Jono Lukins as Ross and Mentieth. There was no one on the stage that provided more authenticity in his intonation, facial expressions and responsiveness in every scene. Lukins acting prowess brought much needed emotional connection to the dialogue and was performed with great integrity which fully engaged the audience.

Micah Doughty who played a variety of roles, was impressive and engaging every time. This discerning actor was able to skilfully distinguish between the characters markedly and were so adeptly delivered you could be forgiven for thinking it was a different actor each time. His entrance from the audience as one of the characters was very engaging and showed his acting chops and comedic skill. 

Callum Wilson playing Lennon and Daniel Maher playing a variety of roles, also demonstrated an expressive correlation to the text and made a significant contribution to the storyline when they were on stage.

Kendall Drury as McDuff was a stiff and implacable character which was received well most of the time however his emotional breakdown at learning of his family’s murder at the hands of Macbeth needs more gravity and credibility.  Similarly his vengeful sword fight with Macbeth, the culmination of the play, requires more emotional depth to be believed.

The balance of the cast were all integral to the plot moving forward and informing the audience of hidden motivations and all executed their roles well however there is a need for a greater attention to the meaning of the dialogue and a more realistic portrayal in intentions.

The costumes were very well created and true to the period in particular the witches and Lady Macbeth. The details in the men’s costumes, including boots and armoury provided very lifelike context to the drama.

The fight scenes were well choreographed by Blake Wells and executed to great effect by the cast. Greater commitment in the final fight involving Macbeth and McDuff is needed as the play rises to its climax. McDuff looked awkward rather than relishing the chance to avenge the murder of his family.

The lighting shows great promise and it is hoped the timing will improve as the season progresses. The night time / dimly lit scenes were beautiful and the cauldron scene was absorbing. The set is minimalist and effective, particularly the stunning backdrop which captured the mood of the play so well. The scene transitions were wonderfully timed and commendably executed by the cast. 

The modern music chosen during Act 2 was interesting and added to the drama but a little out of place in this traditional interpretation of the play, given there were no other nods to modernism.  The chosen music therefore might have been used in places in Act 1 and this may have provided some consistency in the sound scape across both acts. 

The scene where Banquo’s ghosts arrive to taunt Macbeth was a little awkward, crowded and inelegant and might have been staged to better effect. The cauldron scene, easily one of the notable moments of the play, was undermined by apparitions scurrying away in full view of the audience and undermined what was a very cleverly staged scene. Hopefully the final words of the new king, formerly the Prince of Cumberland which sent the play out with a whimper on opening night,  will develop into a strong and resounding rallying call to the future. Arnold Walsh is more than capable of delivering it in this tone as the scene where he tests McDuff reveals.  

Grinston and Assistant Director Peter Gizariotis create a number of very memorable highlights. There was a clear goal to have the real world blur with the mystical world and this was achieved in the banquet scene when the murdered Banquo makes an unexpected appearance to the delight of the audience, the cauldron scene with the scary and mysterious apparitions rising from the cauldron and Lady Macbeth sleep walking and giving away her guilty conscience. These were cleverly staged and a credit to the directorial and creative team

Macbeth is not an easy play to stage in such a small theatre. The cast are to be congratulated for the proficient and clear delivery of their dialogue. Everyone involved has contributed to the creation of some impressive moments for the audience to enjoy and take away.

Disclosure: I am a member of The Genesian Theatre and was a guest on opening night.

RizzieReviews

Images: Anthony Burns, Homepix Photography P/L.