Macbeth is one of Shakespeare’s most famous plays. A tragedy on both an epic and a personal scale as the highly decorated war hero descends into despotism.
A long-studded GCSE English Literature text, it has been performed in myriad ways as adaptors and directors seek to put their own spin on or update the text for modern audiences.
In Macbeth (An Undoing), which is currently running at The Rose until March 23, writer/director Zinnie Harris has attempted to do all of the above - switching the characters of Macbeth and Lady Macbeth in the second act, beefing up the role of Lady MacDuff - now an adulterous cousin of Lady M; breaking the fourth wall and employing the use of a narrator, a character called Carlin who moves the action along.
Our verdict
While elements of the Bard’s original text remain, it is interspersed with added original dialogue, which, along with a few expletives, adds elements of humour as well.
In Act One, I would say it all worked. The ‘Weird Sisters’ whose prophecy Macbeth seizes upon are suitably weird, and we are introduced to a host of characters, including the Macbeths. Lady Macbeth is immediately recognisable as a strong, confident woman of the world and her frustration at her husband’s reticence to commit regicide is nicely played out, making the murder plausible.
But the second half sadly slips into some overlong, let’s throw every drama school trope at it mish-mash that totally destroys the ingenuity of the first.
To modern readers, the problem of Lady Macbeth is that, after proving so pivotal to her husband’s ascent in the earlier part of the play, she just fades to nothing. She even dies off-stage.
However, here, roles are reversed, and it is Macbeth who cannot cope with his crimes, leaving his wife to take charge, not only of her husband but also of the nation.
Hmmm, okay, so again, not a bad idea, but then, Macbeth from nowhere comes to his senses. There are ramblings about the patriarchy and infertility, and a straightjacket and handcuffs appear; Lady Macbeth kills her husband before MacDuff reappears and kills Macbeth...
Sorry for the spoilers, but most people know everyone dies; it is just that Harris has done it in a different order.
Yes, it echoes the chaos that has befallen the king, queen and their subjects, but as a piece of theatre, it is just too contrived.
As Lady Macbeth, Nicole Cooper does some sterling work - in turn feisty, seductive and manipulative - and along with Liz Kettle as the menacing narrator/chorus figure, they basically hold the plot together. Adam Best’s portrayal of Macbeth is of a man who is pretty uninspiring, and you wonder whether Duncan would have ever bestowed any honours upon him in the first place.
The real star of the show, however, is Tom Piper’s set—a series of moving mirrored walls that reflect the mounting hysteria. The introduction of a fantastic on-stage tap is also very clever, as are the gallons of blood that grow with every scene and are deftly employed by the actors.
If you have teenagers studying the text, it may be worth a visit as it will give them an insight and another perspective. But sadly, there is not one for the purists.
Macbeth (An Undoing) is at the Rose Theatre, Kingston,. until March 23. Visit: rosetheatre.org
