MACBETH - THE PROLOGUE. To 10 February.
London
MACBETH - THE PROLOGUE
Barbican Theatre (The Pit) To 10 February 2007
Mon-Sat 7.45pm
Runs 1hr 15min No interval
TICKETS: 0845 120 7536
www.barbican.org.uk (reduced booking fee online)
Review: Timothy Ramsden 31 January
A tale of sound and fury signifying something significant.
In the beginning were “Words, Words, Words”. But Shakespeare’s since incorporated every style of theatre. Ukraine’s Dakh Centre for Contemporary Arts present a Macbeth rich in bold theatricality. There are few words, though those there are give prominence to the geese which Shakespeare gave only a passing mention in Macbeth’s final hour.
Why they receive this upgrade is unclear, as are several parts of this movement-rich production in the simple realms of “What’s going on right now?” But as a symphony of sound, movement and colour it makes an exhilarating 75 minutes. And this Ukrainian company come with plenty of street cred. They formed in 2004 in the wake of the country’s Orange Revolution, having been involved in the street demos following announcements of a stitch-up in recent elections.
So a classic about usurpation, about political skulduggery and murder, is right up their street, offering an avenue to explore political crime and gerrymandering. It’s a road they go down with inventive theatrical flair, even if they leave Shakespeare’s words (geese apart) behind.
Fabrics surround the event, wall-hangings and rich-patterned carpets. Iconography round the walls is picked out at times by lighting. Smiling figurative images contrast the harshness of events being enacted. At other times lighting covers the stage in a subdued flood, seeming deliberately to blur perception.
Male and female figures pair or split. The women’s sexuality is as apparent as they sit or lie bare-legged, equivalent to Lady Macbeth’s words spurring on her husband with a rush of sexual excitement. An interplay of near-stillness and frenetic movement maintains an edgy sense, even if there are pools of ominous quiet.
Is it theatre? Is it dance? Does it matter? Music, though, is vital, the onstage band continuously underscoring the action with a battalion of beaten, scraped and blown sounds, plus remarkable singing. Voices and instruments raise the temperature, at times through sudden contrasts, at times by sheer energy.
This isn’t a production for finding out about the plot of Macbeth. But as a whirl of incredible physical energy and skill, with ever-present undercurrents of urgency and immediacy, it’s fairly unbeatable.
Cast: Marko Halanevich, Natalka Bida, Nina Garenetska, Olexandra Garbuzova, Iryna Kovalenko, Olena Tsybulska, Vyshnya, Dmytro Yaroshenko, Volodymyr Minenko, Ihor Postolov, Solomiya Melnyk, Viktoriia Lytvynenko, Poman Yasinovskyi, Tetyana Vasylenko, Ruslana Khazipova
Director: Vladislav Troitsky
Lighting: Natalka Perchishena
Sound: Anatolyi Soroka
2007-02-04 13:22:07