MACBETH. To 2 October.
Edinburgh/Tour
MACBETH
by William Shakespeare
Theatre Babel Tour to 2 October 2004
Runs 1hr 45min No interval
Review: Timothy Ramsden 22 August at Scotland's Gateway Theatre Edinburgh Festival Fringe
Exciting, perceptive strongly-imagined production.Babel's production is played out in a predominantly dark environment. An opening swish sees a forest of swords stand to attention. It's in this violent environment Macbeth meets the Witches three innocent-looking girls. It's through these swords Sandy Neilson's King Duncan treads as much a warrior, in his not-so-long-ago prime, as Macbeth. And no Macbeth can be forgiven for thinking his military prowess will gain him the succession to the throne as John Kazek (a fine, gritty portrayal). Duncan stands next to him, looking directly at him, before turning at the last moment to name his own son as heir.
Duncan has only one son here; there's no Donalbain. Such shaving of cast numbers is used thematically, focusing opposition to Macbeth on Macduff. Conversations between Scottish lords are recreated as scenes between Macduff and his wife, whose greater role establishes a domestic happiness contrasting the Macbeths.
Their family life is far from happy. Macbeth turns away when his wife says she has given suck; it's a subject he literally cannot face. In her final, fatal moments Rebecca Rodgers' Lady Macbeth fondles a baby. History is the victors' record of events; the victors over Macbeth clearly don't understand the woman they call a fiend-like queen.
This is Macbeth as psychodrama, merging the wails of Scotland's terror with the chaos inside the protagonist's mind. Malcolm Shields' Seyton is upgraded from an act 5 bit-part servant to a silent, near constant, presence, moving with featureless automaton rotation, a reminder the Daleks are back on TV though with a whiz Dr Who's invasive dustbins never reached. Yet he's an instrument of harm to Macbeth also, brutal but ensuring Fleance escapes.
It's only when the action moves to England, leaving Macbeth's psychodrama, its soundcape and diabolic apparatus, behind that the production flattens to simply competent (the England scenes are the least active, most wordy and difficult anyway, with Malcolm's tedious goody-goody exposition, particularly late in a no-interval production). Otherwise, this is a well-acted, theatrically vibrant production exploring Shakespeare's contrast of barrenness and fruitfulness, forging thereby a link with another supreme royal family tragedy, King Lear.
Macbeth: John Kazek
Lady Macbeth: Rebecca Rodgers
MacDuff: Ian Grieve
Lady MacDuff: Isabella Jarrwett
Banquo: Stewart Porter
Seyton: Malcolm Shields
Malcolm: Peter Collins
Duncan: Sandy Neilson
Witches/Son to Macbeth/Fleance: Lewis Stephen, Shannon Coult, Rosalind Watt (Aberdeen)
Niahm Chisholm, Liam Bartie, Angelina Bartie (Edinburgh/Glasgow)
Michael Kimberly, Ellen Darlison, Ruth Smith, Lizzy Mannicks (Coventry)
Children's Voices: Isabelle Joss, Kirsten McLean
Director/Designer: Graham McLaren
Lighting: Kai Fischer
Composer: Anthea Haddow
Fight director: Raymond Short
Assistant director: Christina Laybourn
2004-09-20 09:23:55