Despite a rather hectic summer, I recently had a rather exciting development in my reviewer/writer endeavours. I became an official reviewer for Daily Info. For those non-Oxford dwellers, Daily Info (www.dailyinfo.co.uk) is the one-stop website for all things Oxford - whether you're looking for a job, a babysitter, or a vegetarian Middle Eastern restaurant on a budget, it's the best place for quick advice. Although I haven't had nearly as much time to review for them as I would have liked, when Macbeth produced by Creation Theatre was advertised, I jumped at it. I've been a long-time supporter of this Oxford based theatre company and have been to countless great performances put on by them, from Much Ado about Nothing to A Christmas Carol. One of the things I love most about them is their innovation and passion about the spaces in which they perform. The plays are often outdoors in parks and gardens, one of my favourite experiences has to be watching Antony and Cleopatra on the amphitheatre-style roof of the Said Business School - so authentic! As you'll see in the review, the use of setting and space was once again outstanding in Macbeth.
As a reviewer attending the first night performance, I didn't know what to expect. I took my little notebook (and my mum) along and we were both overly excited when I was presented with a badge and guided into a room with refreshments and lots of important looking people! We were treated to an introductory talk from the lovely Lucy Askew who has my dream job (chief and executive producer) before being led out to the gardens of Lady Margaret Hall which had been transformed into a murderous banquet scene. My review had to be short and concise, but I just want to emphasise again what I really think is Creation Theatre's biggest strength: their relationship with and focus on the audience as participants in the play. After all, that is what the roots of theatre have always been about.
Disclaimer: I had to write this review THE NIGHT of performance and so my comments are completely first impression based. As is always the way with literature and theatre, most concepts need a while to sink in and take shape, that's the point of them. Whilst I still stand by what I've written, the interpretation became a real thinker for me and I have come to more fully appreciate the artistic experimentation of the production.
"An ambitious and successful production, if a slightly
problematic interpretation. Creation Theatre’s latest venture reimagines
Shakespeare’s Macbeth in the setting
of a military sanatorium, acted out in the gardens of Lady Margaret Hall. The
experimental use of the setting was certainly one of the highlights: Macbeth,
Lady Macbeth et al bounded manically in and out of the surrounding building,
shouting out from various windows and bellowing down from the roof observatory.
The audience were seated around round tables, much like being at a sinister
wedding-cum-massacre, which the cast often marched through, hiding in the
shadows and creating that increasing feeling of insecurity which so fits with Macbeth.
The ‘weird sisters’ were effectively disposed of, in their
place were women with cloths covering their faces and men wearing gas masks.
This worked well with the updating of the play into a war-time England, but I
felt that the medieval plot itself could never quite fully be reconciled with
the setting of a hospital full of wounded, shell-shocked soldiers. This was in
part rectified in the second half, in which the hospital setting became a lot
clearer and more interesting. In the end, I decided the interpretation worked
well when viewing each character individually as a soldier obsessed with the
war going on around him and the tyranny and murder dictating the world.
The first half ended with Banquo’s murder, a wonderful scene
which really was a taste of better things to come. The playing out of murders
and violence was a real highlight – the characters stood about two metres apart
enacting the infliction and reaction, never actually touching each other - a
technique that was far more effective and harrowing. The encroaching darkness
undoubtedly highlighted the creepy horror story effect that the production was
striving for and the actors really came into their own in the second half –
well worth waiting for! Although Lady Macbeth wasn’t the best portrayal I’ve
seen, the sexual tension between her and Macbeth (Scott Ainslie) was amped up
to perfection – there was real chemistry between the actors. The cast was
small, which meant a lot of doubling up – quite a difficult feat in a play with
such a large cast. However, it did work for the most part, thanks to the
diverse skills of the actors – Simon Spencer-Hyde was particularly good in his
transition from Banquo to Macduff, the shift was flawless to the point that I
wasn’t immediately aware it was the same actor.
All in all, the interpretation needed a lot of thinking
about in order to get to grips with it. I wanted it to be a more dramatic
reworking, either in making itself more obvious through props and direction, or,
preferably, through cutting certain scenes and speeches which became somewhat
obsolete within the new context. That said, the production and acting talent made
for a thoroughly enjoyable evening. The effort in preparation and dramatic
design cannot be faulted. The use of location, props and sound was perfectly
balanced with the necessity for audience imagination – an eerie and memorable
evening for children and adults alike."
Go and see it now! Grab your tickets here
