Macbeth, Creation Theatre (online) - ★★★★ - Until October 31, 2020


Shakespeare knew how to pile on the blood and violence. Macbeth, as presented by Zoë Seaton for Creation Theatre doesn't balk at the horror. Ghostly witches are in control throughout this striking virtual production in which the actors are all performing alone in their homes and coming to us via Zoom. In fact the cast has never even met! This extremely cleverly constructed production gives us virtual locations mixed with real rooms and occasional filmed inserts. At times, ingeniously engineered images of the watching audience pop up as guests at the banquet while the ghost of Banquo passes before them. Nicky Harley's Lady Macbeth is a strangely seductive sociopath spiraling towards disaster. She stands in good contrast to Dennis Herdman's confused Macbeth who vacillates between insecure machismo and being a pawn in his wife's thrall. Both Herdman and Harley speak very well, and his performance grows in intensity as the character's mind disintegrates. The murder of Lady Macduff (Lucia McAnespie) is unimaginably horrific, and subsequently the fiercely vengeful Macduff (Aonghus Óg McAnally) gives us the most heartrending moment of the play. Dharmesh Patel brings compelling dignity to Banquo and, along with McAnally and McAnespie, is suitably terrifying as one of the Witches. In an ideal world this production would be in a real venue, but Covid-19 has certainly elicited some incredibly imaginative solutions. Seaton and her superb technical team deserve nothing but praise for this attempt to realise The Scottish Play in our living rooms.

Reviewed by D.S.J.

 Our Score:  ☆☆☆☆ 

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WHEN, WHERE, GETTING THERE:
Until October 31, 2020
Creation Theatre (online)
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