Title- Macbeth
Writer- William Shakespeare
Theatre- Almeida Theatre, London
Running Dates- final performance November 27th. Tickets are sold out, but you can watch this at home via a livestream until October 30th (this is how I watched it)
Running Time- approx 3 hours and 5 mins, including an interval
Cast- Saoirse Ronan, James McArdle
Genre- Classic, Shakespeare, Tragedy
Rating- 4/5 stars
Plot
Yaël Farber directs James McArdle and Saoirse Ronan, in an elemental production about a world in transformation, the shadows in all of us, and one couple’s spine-chilling quest for power.
Olivier Award-nominee James McArdle plays the title role of Macbeth. His highly acclaimed theatre roles include Louis in the National Theatre and Broadway production of Angels in America, Peter Gynt, Platonov and James I in The James Plays (National Theatre). His screen work includes HBO’s Mare of Easttown, Ammonite, Mary Queen of Scots and Man in an Orange Shirt.
Four-time Academy Award-nominated Saoirse Ronan makes her UK stage debut as Lady Macbeth. She made her Broadway debut as Abigail Williams in The Crucible on Broadway in 2016 to glowing reviews and has been celebrated throughout her career for her performances in films including Atonement, Lady Bird, Brooklyn, and Little Women.
Yaël Farber is an internationally acclaimed director and playwright, whose recent work includes Hamlet (St Ann’s Warehouse, New York); Blood Wedding (Young Vic), Knives in Hens (Donmar Warehouse) and Les Blancs (National Theatre).
Taken from the Almeida website.
Opinions
It's been an age since I did a theatre review on here and I'm really happy I can start making this content again. With COVID, I haven't been to an in person performance since March 2020. So, I've been watching a lot of livestream theatre. I was desperate to see this production of Macbeth because I love Saiorse Ronan and James McArdle. I was planning on seeing it in London in November, but due to the COVID rates in the UK and me having to travel to London to see it, I decided it wasn't safe so I was very happy when they announced these livestream dates.
Saoirse Ronan and James McArdle were phenomenal in the lead roles. This is my third Macbeth production, but this one really stood out to me. Unlike previous productions, these versions of Macbeth and Lady Macbeth felt human. They started as a normal couple, then they descended into the madness/power obsession. I actually felt sorry for them as you could see they regretted their actions and wanted no part in what they had done towards the end. Lady Macbeth is often portrayed as manipulative and pushing Macbeth to do these deeds, but in this version, she was a wife supporting her husband. There was genuine love between them. You understood why she went mad with guilt and grief, why she died. I think Saoirse Ronan and James McArdle brought out a softer side to these characters that we haven't really seen before. This was a motif carried by the rest of the cast, including the actor that played MacDuff. His grief when he lost his wife and children was palpable. He was sad and didn't set out for revenge immediately. It was a very strong cast.
This was one of the grittier versions of Macbeth I have seen. I loved the set and costume designs. The use of "we'll meet again" gave it this old wartime feel, which made it feel timeless. The staging was quite simple, with plastic screen dividers used to create different rooms. The costumes were also quite simple, with a lot of monochrome being used. I think the only time we saw colour was in the camouflage military uniforms or the blue of the royal outfits worn by Macbeth and Lady Macbeth. It gave the play a spooky undertone, which it should have. The lighting was good, but at times didn't translate well to viewing it at home as the shadows were too dense, which is something I'll talk about later. I really liked the creative choices they made for this version.
The music was another incredible part of this production. They had a cellist and a singer, who were also performers in the play. The singer had this beautiful voice that created haunting music. In the more intense scenes, when characters died it was like their pain had been turned into music. The music was just as a stand out as the rest of this production. It was never over the top or got in the way of the performances, it enhanced them.
It's time to talk about the only thing I didn't like about this production and it wasn't even a fault of the production. The way it was filmed meant at times certain scenes were lost. Like there was quite an intense fight scene between Banquo and the assassins who kill him, and we at home only saw Macbeth's reaction. I would have loved to have seen the fight. At times the cameras were trying to get close ups, but kept on catching other cameras in the background and would have to move quickly to get out of the way. They would try and avoid getting camera shadows in shot, which made for clunky filming. I think if there had been a bit of variety in the shots, it would have worked so much better.
Overall, I really enjoyed this production and I now wish I was seeing it live in London as I think that would have been a totally different experience. I think the whole creative team did a wonderful job at bringing this show to life and changing certain elements for the better. I gave it 4/5 stars, as while I enjoyed it, I really struggled with some of the filming choices.
What did you think of this production of Macbeth??
