MACBETH to 1st June
MACBETH
by William Shakespeare
Arcola Theatre to 1 June 2002
Mon to Sat 8pm
2.5 hours one interval
TICKETS 020 7503 1646
A production of Shakespeare's famously awkward play, too domestic to make the world of witches, ghosts and invisible daggers credibleIt's one of the great theatrical puzzles. Why is it so difficult to do a good Macbeth? Why have so many productions been so disastrous that the play has become superstitiously unmentionable? After all, it is a cracking good story with fantastic characters and breathtaking poetry.
This production at the Arcola seems particularly uncomfortable with the moments when the play bursts out of its domestic settings. The supernatural elements are handled inconsistently, as if the directors were unsure of their function in the play. The dagger is truly invisible, a 'dagger of the mind' to Macbeth. But Banquo's ghost is incongruously sat at the table - with no sign of the 'gory locks' that Macbeth claims he sees. Similarly, the battle scenes, despite some hearty shouting, are unconvincing - acted without much sense of threat with a peculiar array of sticks and short swords as weaponry.
So this production fails to rise to one of the plays hidden challenges - the interplay between the intimate and the epic. The design doesn't help. The multiple-doored set reduces the depth of the space, constantly suggesting that we are indoors and the tartan-tinged, semi-contemporary, military costumes are too ambiguous to elucidate the story and its themes meaningfully.
Therefore, Mehmet Ergen and Jack Shepherd's production ends up emphasising the play's intimacy. This suits Jack Shepherd's interpretation of the eponymous lead and, particularly in the famous soliloquies, he makes the descent into hallucinatory madness very credible and chilling. However, the imbalance between Shepherd's ability to extract nuance and the bland acting of most of the rest of the cast puts the brakes on the momentum the play needs.
The production is billed as having two named actors. Unfortunately, Amanda Boxer's Lady Macbeth doesn't provide a passionate enough contrast to Shepherd's nervy Thane, so occasionally they resemble nothing more than an anxious suburban couple. There is, however, one notable exception deserving an honourable mention and Clarence Smith's explosion of grief as Macduff, hearing of the slaughter of his family, reminds us that at its heart this play is a bleak commentary on the cruelty of humanity.
Macbeth: Jack Shepherd
Lady Macbeth: Amanda Boxer
Banquo: Jonathan Moore
Macduff: Clarence Smith
Duncan/Old Man/Doctor: Philip Anthony
Malcolm: Matthew Coombes
Lennox: Cosh Omar
Ross: David Carter
1st Witch/Hecate/Gentlewoman: Jackie Everett
2nd Witch/Lady Macduff: Jan Shepherd
3rd Witch/Porter/Angus: Jamie de Courcey
Donalbain/1st Murderer/Seyton: James Burton
2nd Murderer: Jon Millington
3rd Murderer/Messenger/Servant: Ian Midlane
Fleance/Young Siward/Macduff's Son: Nicola Cunningham
Directors: Jack Shepherd, Mehmet Ergen,
Designer: Jake Shepherd
Lighting Designer: Richard Williamson
Costumes: Lisa Douek, Hannah Penfold
Music: Jim Bywater
2002-05-08 19:56:18