Theatre Review - Macbeth

Theatre Review: Macbeth @ The Everyman Theatre Liverpool 

Since Baz Luhrmann, reinvented Shakespeare with his stylised and groundbreaking film version of Romeo and Juliet, the trend for 're-imagining' the bard’s works has shown no sign of losing its appeal. 

But the question is why do producers feel they have to put their own personal stamp on a production, especially with work of such quality?Why do they believe they have to add some quirky twist to makes their version different than the rest? The current production of Macbeth at the Everyman a Theatre is a shining example of this. 

If you were new to this particular work, you may be asking yourself aboutthe significance of the musical ensemble placed centre stage. Or just who were the characters walking about the performance space? Were they the stage crew, or was this the cast? This unusual opening left both myself and most of the audience wondering, 'Has it started?' 

In a traditional version of the Scottish play you might expect kilts,swords maybe some scenery, not to mention haggard witches, this however is no traditional version. This is cut down spliced up and reimagined version of events. The text is used sparingly, replaced at random intervals by a fusion of electronic sounds and tunes. The multi-talented cast display not only some fine if unorthodox acting talents, but also their considerable skills at creating the mix of sounds.

This fast paced one act performance is delivered at a break neck speed, which the Shakespeare novice may find confusing and the purists may find disappointing. 

There is no doubt that this is a version of Macbeth that is both radical and unusual. It may appeal to those lovers of the bard’s work who are looking for something new and some might describe it as avant-garde, but for the average theatre goer looking for a fix of the classics, it may leave them sadly dissatisfied. At the end of the performance, a bemused audience were left looking to one and other for re-assurance, 'Well that was different' said one patron. It's a production that challenges and pushes the boundaries with its interpretation of the text. Sadly for me like the music, it struck one too many bum notes. 

This article was first published in @cultnoisemag - to read the full article please follow the link below: 

http://www.cultnoise.com/theatre-review-macbeth-everyman-theatre-liverpool/