Witchery, regicide, paranoia, somnambulism and, ultimate good-guy coup – yes, it’s the Scottish play. And because this production is part of the Globe’s long standing Playing Shakespeare With Deutsche Bank project which provides free tickets for state school groups from London and Birmingham, it is neatly pared down to 90 minutes.
Sarah Frankcom’s direction ensures that the story telling is clear and the action makes imaginative use of the thrust extension and walkway built across the Globe’s yard (designer Rose Revitt).
The cast of nine use a range of accents including very broad West Midlands for Duncan (Chris Nayak) presumably in the interests of inclusivity and conveying the message that Shakespeare’s words can be spoken by anyone from anywhere. It’s a worthy aim but it sometimes leads to lack of verbal clarity.
Fiston Barek has a certain charisma as Macbeth. I had to wipe my eyes when he got to “Tomorrow and tomorrow and tomorrow”. Hannah Azuonye is an elegant Lady Macbeth although she failed to make me believe in her scheming passion. There’s some strong work from Beth Hinton-Lever as a witch doubling as Porter, Seyton and various takes on “Sirrah”. She scampers round the stage with urgent energy, but at other times conveys real stillness.
Music, directed by Louise Anna Duggan (co-composed by her and Zands Duggan) and played by four musicians in the gallery, adds a lot of strong, traditional atmosphere. Muscular percussion, brass and, evocatively, sheets of metal which are menacingly shaken or struck, produce some pretty sinister sounds.
Review by Susan Elkin