If you’ve seen David Tennant recently in “Rivals”, you’ll know that he’s brilliant at playing Machiavellian characters. There’s just something about those arched eyebrows that screams “power hungry.”
Originally staged for a small audience at The Donmar Warehouse, tonight’s version of “Macbeth” is a streamed recording of one of the original performances Tennant and Cush Jumbo (Lady Macbeth) starred in last year. The show’s subsequent record-breaking run at the Harold Pinter theatre was disrupted by swine flu as well as a disgruntled audience member livid that they couldn’t return to their seat following a trip to the toilet!
Thankfully, the recorded performance we have the pleasure of watching in the comfort of Plymouth Arts Cinema is immune from any off-stage drama and we are free to watch Jumbo and Tennant’s award winning and critically acclaimed performances in peace. For fans of Shakespeare, the evening is a real treat.
Max Webster (Life of Pi, Henry V) directs this new re-telling of Shakespeare’s “Scottish” play. The set is wonderfully minimalistic. Rosanna Vize’s large white stage is surrounded by what appears to be a wall of mirrors. Free from complicated set changes, the play motors along at breakneck speed. The intense pace suits the frantic nature of the play’s plot and we’re quickly immersed in the web of lies and deceit Tennant and Jumbo weave in their quest for absolute power.
For parts of the play, a large chunk of the cast stand in front of the mirrors that sit at the top of the stage. Together they form a chorus that act like an echo chamber for the kingdom’s perception of Macbeth.
When all is going well, they sing their praise for “brave” Macbeth in unison – “All hail Macbeth” – but when the grave consequences of the corrupt couples’ actions come to light, the chorus (now made up of some of the deceased characters) chant judgemental lines directed towards Macbeth.
Deploying deceased characters into different roles is original and makes for a more exciting version of Macbeth. Banquo (Cal MacAninch) and Lady Macduff (Rona Morison) for example, form part of the army that rise up to stop Macbeth’s reign of terror. Their involvement is visually very powerful and intensifies the growing sense of justice that dominates the play’s denouement.
Another original twist is Gareth Fry’s innovative use of sound. There are no physical witches on stage but instead we’re immersed in their evil sighs and wicked cackles. At The Donmar, this immersive use of sound was achieved with headphones; every audience member wore a set to get the maximum benefit of a live Celtic band, Gaelic voices and a variety of mood enhancing sound effects.
In the cinema, surround sound means we all get to hear the witches’ prophecies from a wide range of angles. Their evil presence feels all encompassing as they whisper and wail their poisonous words to a vulnerable Macbeth. The cries of a baby are also played at key moments during the play, perhaps to support a literary theory that Lady’s Macbeth descent into madness is caused by baby loss.
Whatever the reason for the constant, harrowing cries, their presence adds an unnerving layer to the already unnerving plot. Interestingly, the witches’ physical absence but vocal presence adds to the idea that Macbeth’s struggles are all within his own head. It ramps up Macbeth’s inner turmoil whilst providing an unpredictable and exciting audio experience for the audience.
Macbeth’s soliloquies are the most impressive aspect of Tennant’s performance. They’re delivered quickly and erratically to a transfixed audience. Although the camera work is rather low key (presumably to ensure live audience members weren’t disturbed too much) his asides are shot in close up so we are eyeball to eyeball with Macbeth as he makes his deadly decisions. We feel so close to Tennant through these close-up soliloquies and asides that we become almost like his co-conspirators. It’s both a thrilling and terrifying experience.
Cush Jumbo’s performance is equally as outstanding. Her superpower is her ability to start the show as a composed and calm Lady Macbeth. Dressed head to toe in white, which contrasts greatly with the rest of the cast’s uniform of dull grey and black, she reveals her plans for her husband in a measured and logical way. However, just as her immaculate dress becomes increasingly creased and dishevelled, her mind gradually unravels too. But even at the height of her madness, Jumbo’s performance as Lady Macbeth is both sensitive and nuanced.
There is one moment that maybe lacks the gravitas it would have live on stage. When Duncan’s murder is discovered, the house lights come on at The Donmar to represent the sheer horror of the moment. This isn’t replicated in the cinema but overall this streamed version of an exceptional production works really well at Plymouth Arts Cinema.
It would have cost a small fortune to see this show in the flesh (especially when you factor in travel and accommodation costs) so to see this performance as a recording for a relatively low price feels hugely satisfying.
I cannot wait to see more cinema streamings of critically acclaimed productions at PAC. Let’s just hope they’re as bloody good as this one…..
Reviewed by Cathryn Macey
