MACBETH. To 25 August.

Edinburgh - Fringe

MACBETH
by William Shakespeare

East Productions at GarageTheatre To 25 August 2003
3.15pm
Runs 1hr No interval

TICKETS: 0131 221 9009
Review: Timothy Ramsden 17 August

Energetic, but the attempt to let Lady Macbeth speak for herself lacks conviction.This is total theatre, if - clearly, at this length - not all of Shakespeare. It's a Weird Sister-soaked event, with a coven of the creatures cavorting as they surround both Macbeth and, later, Lady Macbeth as she reads her husband's letter about the prophecy of his kingship.

Impressive as these rock-tracked, strong-coloured dances are, the production's chief interest is in giving a voice to Lady Macbeth. She's so strongly-drawn a character, and so famous, with a mythology all round her, that it's easy not to notice how little she actually appears in the play.

Of course, there are no small parts, only small actors - but without the mythology, Lady M does little - one great speech in which she claims to have had children (Did she? How many? The question's the basis for a ground-breaking Eng Lit essay on appproaches to drama criticism), hustling her husband to murder with infamous over-confidence ('A little water clears us of the deed'). Then the retreat from taking the initiative, exclusion from her husband's intentions, a desperate attempt to keep the murderous truth in, and a suicide-inducing blood-obsession.

OK, so that's plenty. But there's not much focus on her by comparison with Macbeth. It's almost as if she's a passing phase in his consciousness. Once she's set him going, she's served her purpose. Even her death's merely reported to become a pretext for the great murderer's mind to take its last step to dissolution.

Here, she's brought back to have some more words of her own - some of them ones Shakespeare gave to Macbeth. Quoting his 'Tomorrow' soliloquy, speaking up for herself, it's an intriguing idea. Even if its undermined by this company's excellent determination.

Not fluent English speakers, they have still learned the script in English - helpful and polite to audiences here, but - rightly - mainly a tribute to Shakespeare. Yet, when his verse is left behind for a speech which constitutes a kind of Lady Macbeth hotseating there's bound to be a fall in temperature. It's increased by the contrast with the previous hour's high-voltage theatricality.

Lady Macbeth can no doubt put a case forward - more than one. Perhaps every actor who's performed the role has had to do this for themself. But her mystery remains.

Cast and credits not available

2003-08-19 21:19:17