Recently the opportunity arose within my GCSE Drama group for a few of us to go to the Gulbenkian Theatre, a small theatre on campus at the University of Kent in Canterbury, to watch a production of William Shakespeare’s Macbeth, one of his most well-known and macabre tragedies. I decided I would go, as I was told that it would be a very unique and interesting experience, and this was certainly the case!
Upon my arrival, the first thing I noticed was how everything seemed to be on such a small scale: very few and minimalistic props, a very small stage, and a maximum seating capacity of only about 350 people. The next thing that I found strange was the actors and their behaviour. For a tragedy play, the actors were very upbeat, and were strutting around the stage with guitars and ukuleles, singing enthusiastically as the crowd took their seats, dressed in pinstripe shirts, suspenders and overcoats. However I soon realised the reasons behind this during the introduction; not only was the production to be acted in the style of Film Noir with handguns and fedoras galore, (something which I honestly would never have guessed), but it was also to be a partial comedy! I will admit that I was highly sceptical at first at how this could be done with such a gloomy and sinister play; but they did it, and they did it well. I won’t spoil anything specific, but I will say that a clever combination of humorous sound effects, witty one-liners and crowd interaction made for an experience that brought many laughs from everyone, as well as the shock and terror that would be expected from such a play as Macbeth. And, in my opinion, the most incredible thing is, the entire production was performed by only five people, two of whom I managed to thank and congratulate in person after the play.
Overall, I would recommend this production to anybody looking for a unique and extraordinary experience, enjoyable for anybody, performed by vibrant and clever actors who deserve a lot of praise for their incredible wit and skill that made this production so memorable!
Review by Ben Watson, Norton Knatchbull School