At a first glance, this production of Macbeth promised a lot. The audience were greeted with a spartan set, comprised of only the bare brickwork of the JdP Music Building and a few tattered chairs. With such an empty stage, the energy and presence of the actors was vital to draw us in.
The Witches (or Weird Sisters, a rather inexplicable alteration) delivered perfectly, their eccentricity and fidgety, gibbering conversation offering a performance far enough from the stereotype of Shakespeare’s witches to remain riveting. When Iain Stewart entered as Macbeth, I was expecting the same kind of character and presence; unfortunately, I was initially disappointed. Stewart, like much of the male cast in the first act, simply lacked energy and enthusiasm. His performance, whilst capable, was a little dry, and in the early scenes he brought nothing to the character. At this point, my hopes for the production were beginning to slip; that is, until I saw Alicia Luba as Lady Macbeth.
Barefoot, wide eyed and wildly unkempt she threw herself around the stage with the intensity lacking in the rest of the cast. Luba clearly had a vision in mind for her Lady Macbeth – unhinged from the outset, passionate and committed to her husband. It appears that her energy was infectious – from the death of Duncan, the whole production pushed up a notch. Stewart appeared to suddenly find his voice as Macbeth, turning from an uncertain and hesitant performance to a brilliant portrayal of a tortured, guilty soul. His performance still contained flashes of mediocrity, but the inconsistency aside, in the second act onwards he realised the part with incredible passion. Watching Stewart and Luba on stage together, playing out their unique brands of madness was an absolute dream; the appearance of Banquo’s ghost was particularly exquisite, especially in its staging.
Once he had found his feet, none of the other male cast members could quite measure up to Stewart’s Macbeth. Adam Gethin-Jones’ incredibly and unusually malicious portrayal of the Porter, in what I imagine to be a (very nice) Oxford in-joke, was notable, as was Edwin Price as Macduff. He stood out mostly because his theatrical, melodramatic performance seemed a little incongruous with the rest of the cast; nevertheless, it seemed to just about work, whether it was a conscious choice of the director or not.
Special mention should be given to the technical aspects of the performance; the virtually empty stage was brought to life by exceptionally effective lighting choices, wonderfully reinforcing the post-apocalyptic setting of the play. I was initially sceptical of this futuristic version, but through the set, costume and performance (the Witches especially) it added a brilliant new aesthetic to the play that was a pleasure to watch.
The production’s bumpy start is perhaps excusable given that this was the first night; if Luba and Stewart could transfer the electricity that makes their better scenes so enthralling to the rest of the cast and production, this could be a five star performance. Nevertheless, well worth seeing as it is – just make sure you stay until the end.
4 STARS
