THEATRE REVIEWS

This is a rather lack-lustre affair, directed by Dominic Cooke. It's not that it's really awful. It's just that it's not very good. Macbeth is probably put on more often than any other Shakespeare play. Therefore, if a prestigious company like the RSC chose to put it on, one would expect that they would have a very good reason to do so — some new idea or interpretation of the text. Sadly, nothing of the sort is in evidence in this production.

The overall design by Robert Innes Hopkins is unimaginative and unoriginal. The set consists of rough brick sidewalls, each with metal balconies and a cast-iron back wall with an arched door in the centre. In the middle of the stage is a trap, covered by a metal grille. The whole thing is uninspiringly symmetrical and does not allow the actors to move about the space in any sort of dynamic way. The costumes by Tanya Spooner are unexciting: Duncan (as King of Scotland) wears a golden crown, the Scottish thanes march around in military uniform, the Witches wear ragged clothes. There is nothing new in that.

A slightly more interesting idea was the positioning of musicians in the theatre boxes; drummers in one box and brass players in the other. This use of live music should have made the production a little more exciting and vital. However, the Gary Yershon's score was limited to simple military drum riffs and trumpet fanfares, and soon these motifs became rather tired. Apart from that, the sound design by Andrea J. Cox consisted of excessive thunder and lightening sound effects, coupled with billowing clouds of stage smoke, no doubt intended to create a sinister atmosphere. Whatever the intention, such sound effects are so hackneyed, they only served to underline how badly this production lacks innovation.

Perhaps the design concept was deliberately bland to focus the audience's attention on the performers. However, the acting failed to engage the audience either. Greg Hicks (playing the title role) is an actor with amazing presence, as he has such great control of his every movement. He can make even a simple entrance onstage utterly captivating. Unfortunately, his skills don't seem to extend beyond the physical. He maintained good chemistry with Sian Thomas as Lady Macbeth, but he underplayed his own role far too much. Most of his soliloquies were directed to the audience, but were performed in such a way that he seemed to be retelling the mental conflict of his character, rather than actually experiencing it. If the central character does not emote, then there is little for an audience to connect to.

His fellow actors did little to improve the production. Think of the worst possible clichés of hammy Shakespearean acting and you have Louis Hilyer's performance as Banquo. Some other actors in the company were also guilty of being florid and pretentious, but none so bad as he.

Congratulations then to Clive Wood for delivering a simple, unfussy portrayal of Macduff in the midst of such hamminess. Unlike many of his fellow actors, Wood spoke normally and without any strange emphases, and yet was still perfectly audible. Macduff can be a difficult role, but Wood created a strong, likeable character, who was not so much of a good guy that he was boring. Another actor who deserves praise is John Killoran as Seyton. In the script, Seyton is a small role; he is an officer attending Macbeth who only appears in the final act. In this production, he was an almost constant presence, watching over the events onstage from one of the balconies, his impassive, watchful face ever more ominous. His presence created a far more disturbing atmosphere than any naff thunder and lightening sound effects could achieve.

Maybe I'm being a little too harsh in my review, but the RSC promote themselves as being the best Britain has to offer for Shakespearean theatre. If they want to carry on marketing themselves as such, they need to earn that prestige with high-quality shows. This production is bafflingly mediocre, especially since the programme states that "the company rehearses and trains together for twice as long as is usual in the UK. Longer rehearsal periods create the freedom for directors and actors to test ideas and take risks in the rehearsal room, providing the opportunity to develop the best possible performances". © RW

“Macbeth” is at the Albery theatre London on the 10th February to the 5th March, 2005.