Macbeth

Macbeth

★★★★★

Co-produced by English Touring Theatre, Northern Stage, Shakespeare North Playhouse and Théâtres de la Ville de Luxembourg, this contemporary production of Shakespeare’s classic Macbeth is not only unafraid to provocatively subvert the genre of the play, but to also rearrange the scenes to create a powerful stage show that mirrors the political landscape of modern Britain. This fresh perspective of is a commendable modernisation, which director Richard Twyman has ensured still honours the Scottish roots of the original play.

Macbeth

★★★★☆

Double, Double, toil and….yakuza?

The Scottish play is possibly one of Shakespeare’s best known tragedies, telling the tale of Macbeth’s rise to power and his attempts to retain that power against a backdrop of murder. This production of Macbeth by Imitating The Dog was unlike any other production we have ever seen, and completely modernises the play in a way that Baz Luhrmann did for Romeo and Juliet in the 90’s.

Transporting the play to Estuary City, a gritty neon world that invokes images of London and Tokyo, this version of Macbeth incorporates video technology, modern language and a violent noir backdrop to stunning effect. Throughout the production, two cameras capture Macbeth and Lady Macbeth on the stage. These images appear on screens above the stage, and in combination with the sectional staging give individual perspectives of the action on stage. With background films projected onto the staging, Imitating The Dog have created a cinematic masterpiece within a live theatre environment. Our favourite example of this was Lady Macbeth riding a subway train to meet Macbeth. The camera focussed on each of them individually to set them apart on stage whilst being only metres away from each other, whilst also delivering the feeling of motion through the subway train; incredibly creative and effective.