Macbeth is probably my favourite Shakespeare play out of them all. I love the drama and the supernatural that is involved in this play and the recent production of Macbeth in Stratford-Upon-Avon, is probably the best I've seen. Macbeth is a play about power and corruption saying what can happen when ambition gets the better of you. Macbeth is pushed by the supernatural, power, ambition and his wife, Lady Macbeth, to get what he wants, to be the King.
The show opens with the three witches asking 'When shall we three meet again?'. I think the decision taken by the creative team to cast young children to play the witches was a great idea. It was completely unexpected and juxtaposed the normal stereotype.
Macbeth, played by Christopher Eccleston, was good but not completely captivating. Agreed, he was skilled when saying the soliloquys and often brought a sinister and scary side to the character especially towards the end of the play when the character of Macbeth becomes more and more corrupted but overall, he was probably not the best choice for portraying the role.
However, when paired with Lady Macbeth, Niamh Cusack, they brought the power couple into a whole new light. I loved Niamh's portrayal of Lady Macbeth and I completely agree with what she said before the show saying Lady Macbeth is not evil, but damaged and her performance showed that. She was sharp and clever with the character, just as it should be.
The choice taken to do colour-blind casting was clever as it brought the production into the 21st century which overall made it feel more real and relevant. I particularly enjoyed the porter played by Michael Hodgson as his scene was very sinister and threatening which marks the turn in the play. The use of the set was brilliant and the ability to turn the stage into a complete new scene was amazing. Special mentions go to the whole cast for putting on this brilliant production for everyone to see.
Overall, this peformance was sharp and electric while telling the tragic story of Macbeth and the casting, set, design of the show, brought this hauntingly good tale into the 21st century for more people to enjoy.
Macbeth is currently running in Stratford-Upon-Avon in the Royal Shakespeare Theatre until 18 September 2018 before transferring to the Barbican Theatre in London for a limited run until January 2019.
