33- Macbeth, directed by MaryClare O'Neill, Hiraeth, Upstairs at The Gatehouse

This was a gutsy production from a promising new company.

Set in the tenth century I expected a simple traditional production of Macbeth. Muddy medieval costumes, sad Scottish singing and red stained glass window reflections projected on the floor made the production very atmospheric. However there were many unusual innovations in this production which I really appreciated.

When Zoé Ford first came on stage I immediately thought she was great but too young for the part. Then Macbeth (Kazeem Tosin Amore) entered and the chemistry between them was palpable. They were a very natural couple, her younger and cajoling, him indulgent. Then after the murder when Macbeth started to unravel and Lady Macbeth tried to calm him down he struck her across the face. The violence in the relationship made for an unusual spin on the play which I really enjoyed, this was the first production I’ve ever seen where I felt sorry for Lady Macbeth. In the sleepwalking scene she hit herself around the face and cowered away on ‘no more of that my lord.’ She was a Frankenstein Lady Macbeth, creator of a monster she couldn’t control.

Kazeen Tosin Amore was magnetic as Macbeth, his unease while others were on stage and sudden movements to anger made his speeches riveting. As he was losing his mind in the scene with Banquo's ghost, the clever use of faceless masks made us all feel like we were with him in this cloud of madness and confusion. I also particularly enjoyed his speech about the ghostly dagger, represented as a sharp beam of light which fell across his face giving him a ghoulish appearance.

Gemma Barrett, Christina Lazaro and Julia Faulkner were just the witches you hope you will see when you go to Macbeth. Drooling mad women working seamlessly as a trio, repeating lines and murmuring chants as if crazily muttering to themselves. They were both disturbing and comic, gruesome and sympathetic. The scene where they conjure visions of the future to a blind Macbeth was particularly well done, with Barrett going into a gory labour and madly lamenting as the bundle she bears is handed to Macbeth who unravels it to reveal a cluster of twigs. This strong image continued to resonate in the next scene in which Barrett gave a very moving performance as a spirited Lady Macduff, struggling against her murderers as they smash her baby’s head open in front of her. Her howls of despair were brilliantly haunting.

I would have liked to see a bit more anguish like this from Macduff and the others after Duncan’s murder but earlier in the play the men were very much the soldiers and retained their stiff upper lips. Dan Mullins was a compelling Macduff, I liked the way he clearly disliked and suspected Macbeth right from the beginning, and his reaction on hearing about the murder of his family was very moving.

There were some strange decisions in this production which I didn’t think quite worked. Banquo’s son Fleance was cut completely. This meant the aftermath of Banquo’s murder, which usually feels like a failure for Macbeth felt more like a triumph because he had seemingly managed to stop Banquo’s line and defeat the prophecy about Banqo’s sons inheriting the throne. Not having any mention of Banquo’s children also meant the authority of the witches suddenly felt a bit shaky.

Another part of the play I thought was a bit strange was the blocking in the battle scene. Macduff was sitting down on some steps as he wondered where Macbeth was and when Macbeth entered he left his sword in its sheath even while Macduff ran at him to attack him. I was so bemused by this strange behaviour on the battlefield it distracted me a bit from the action.

The play was cut to end on Macbeth’s death, which I found much more poignant than ending with the drab final lines about being crowned at scone. Overall a very accomplished and varied production. I shall look out for future productions from Hiraeth.