THE WEYARD SISTERS at Riverside Studios

★★

“has its moments and intriguing ideas, but it struggles to find its footing”

“Life’s but a walking shadow, a poor player that struts and frets his hour upon the stage and then is heard no more.” This line from Shakespeare’s Macbeth captures the fleeting nature of stories. In The Weyard Sisters – The Definitive Sequel to Macbeth, writer/director Helen Alexander attempts to extend the tale, breathing new life into the characters who survived the blood-soaked battlefield of Dunsinane.

Ever wondered what happens next? Alexander offers a glimpse into the aftermath, where power struggles continue and Scottish royal titles remain up for grabs. The focus shifts from the fallen king to the women often side-lined — Lady Macbeth’s resourceful gentlewoman, Agatha (Claire Morrissey), who quickly becomes indispensable to the new ruler, Malcolm (Jonathon Campbell), who remains oddly detached from his role.

At the heart of the story are three women rumoured to be witches—the same ones whose prophecies led to the Macbeths’ tragic actions. Now, they’re front and centre. Portia (Jan Shepherd), the Porter’s daughter, leads the group, supported by Erlynn (Julia Munrow), the housekeeper, and Marlin (Pippa Caddick), the swineherd. Shepherd delivers a lengthy, fourth-wall-breaking comedic monologue that explores their driving purpose, while Caddick’s performance, full of nervous tics and twitches, shines in her interrogation scene. Despite Alexander’s intention to provide a female-centred perspective, the witches, though having some striking moments, feel more symbolic than impactful.

The more engaging parts of the play revolve around the battle-scarred warriors, both physically and emotionally, as they try to find their place in the new order. Bradley Benjamin stands out with a nuanced portrayal of Macduff, capturing the raw anger and emotional vulnerability of a man tormented by the loss of his family.

While billed as darkly funny, the play also incorporates broader humour, particularly through Gordon, Malcolm’s newly appointed and out-of-his-depth servant. Ciaran Corsar’s natural warmth and charm shine as he navigates his new responsibilities with endearing awkwardness.

On the production side, Dana Pinto’s minimalist design, featuring rustic props and white linen sheets to divide the front and backstage, is effective. The lighting design, equally simple, is used to good effect in a flashback sequence, with actors engaging in shadow play to depict past battles. There’s a punk aesthetic to the Celtic costumes, especially for the male characters. The soldiers’ distressed fatigues and kilts contrast with the more refined attire of Malcolm and Macduff, reflecting their higher status. The costumes also subtly explore themes of same-sex relationships, with two guards donning accessories associated with gay iconography, adding an extra layer to the narrative.

Helen Alexander’s ambition to create a definitive sequel to Macbeth is evident, and The Weyard Sisters is intended as the first in a planned trilogy that may eventually address some of the questions it raises. However, the execution in this initial instalment falls short. There’s a lot going on—questions raised but not resolved, themes introduced but not explored, and diversions that lead nowhere. While it’s refreshing to see a play that challenges the audience, this one often feels like it’s trying to do too much without delivering. It helps to brush up on Macbeth, as the play assumes familiarity with the original, and the nods to a broader Shakespearean universe don’t quite compensate for the lack of coherence.

In the end, The Weyard Sisters has its moments and intriguing ideas, but it struggles to find its footing. This ambitious project may have potential, but for now, it feels more like a work in progress than the definitive sequel it aims to be. Much like those fleeting shadows, it won’t linger in the mind.

THE WEYARD SISTERS at Riverside Studios

Reviewed on 15th August 2024

by Ellen Cheshire

Photography by Livia Hartmann

Previously reviewed at this venue:

MADWOMEN OF THE WEST | ★★ | August 2024

MOFFIE | ★★★ | June 2024

KING LEAR | ★★★★ | May 2024

THIS IS MEMORIAL DEVICE | ★★★★ | April 2024

ARTIFICIALLY YOURS | ★★★ | April 2024

ALAN TURING – A MUSICAL BIOGRAPHY | ★★ | January 2024

ULSTER AMERICAN | ★★★★★ | December 2023

OTHELLO | ★★★★ | October 2023

FLOWERS FOR MRS HARRIS | ★★★★ | October 2023

RUN TO THE NUNS – THE MUSICAL | ★★★★ | July 2023

THE WEYARD SISTERS

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★★★½

“a slick, stylish, and refreshing take on a Renaissance play”

Tinny Italian pop music, a mini-fridge full of champagne, and, in the centre of the stage, a long wooden boardroom table surrounded by high-backed chairs. ‘The Changeling’, Middleton and Rowley’s 17th-century play, adapted and directed by Ricky Dukes, takes place entirely in this boardroom (designed by Sorcha Corcoran), with the cast in mid-century dress (excellently created by Alice Neale). The play follows Beatrice-Joanna (Colette O’Rourke), who, betrothed to a man she does not love, seeks to murder her fiancée. When Beatrice enlists the help of her servant De Flores (Jamie O’Neill), who is as obsessed with her as she is disgusted by him, both are drawn into a complex current of desire and murder.

Originally featuring a parallel plot set in a madhouse, this production bravely subsumes the comedic subplot into the tragic main plot but retains a semblance of the madhouse setting for the second act. While it scraps their storyline, the production also retains the madhouse inmates, here recast as The Patients, the house band who interrupt the tragic proceedings to croon wedding-singer style, bounce mega-balloons around the audience, and bathe the stage in disco lighting.

The production is a slick, stylish, and refreshing take on a Renaissance play. The staging is often particularly impressive, and manages to do a lot with very little, thanks in large part to Stuart Glover’s stunning and, at times, very complex lighting design. Even though the boardroom table never moves, we get everything from catacombs to fire. One particularly impressive scene sees De Flores and Alonzo (Alex Bird) descending into the castle vaults, lit cleverly by headlamps worn by the rest of the cast to create the illusion of tunnels.

The influence of Daniel Fish’s dark staging of ‘Oklahoma!’ is evident, with Jamie O’Neill, who is excellent, bringing a wounded and vulnerable desperation to De Flores’ sinister perversity, which very nearly gleans our sympathy. Refusing to cast De Flores as purely revolting and imagining him instead as someone who Beatrice might mutually desire works very well.

“stylish and unflaggingly entertaining”

It would be possible for the cast to lean even further into this fruitful dynamic, were they given a more intimate space. Instead, the interruptions of The Madhouse, though occasionally well-placed, are frequently distracting. All eleven cast members are on-stage almost constantly, navigating around the boardroom table which, while stylish looking, never feels necessary and is instead mostly a hindrance. Taking up almost all available space, it means that most scenes take place with actors entirely separated by a large piece of wood. This dampens some of the sinister sensuality and is a shame in a play that is essentially about desiring bodies.

The best parts of this play come, instead, when the production leans into sparser staging, and leverages the uncanniness of the space. One moment, where De Flores and Beatrice kneel together on the table in the centre of the chaos created, is particularly powerful.

Frequently, however, the play expends too much energy in the wrong places, and, as it reaches its tragic climax, becomes almost claustrophobic. By the end, the audience must contend not only with the table, but also with eleven cast members, fake blood, confetti, and two types of balloon.

Paradoxically, less to do would give the excellent cast more to work with. However, despite the lack of breathing room, this is a stylish and unflaggingly entertaining production. The ‘excessive’ aspects also undoubtedly most engage the audience, and Lazarus is, after all, a company designed to do exactly this.

THE WEYARD SISTERS at Riverside Studios

★★

“has its moments and intriguing ideas, but it struggles to find its footing”

THE WEYARD SISTERS at Riverside Studios

Reviewed on 15th August 2024

by Ellen Cheshire

Photography by Livia Hartmann

Previously reviewed at this venue:

THE WEYARD SISTERS

THE WEYARD SISTERS

THE CHANGELING at Southwark Playhouse

★★★½

“a slick, stylish, and refreshing take on a Renaissance play”

“stylish and unflaggingly entertaining”

THE CHANGELING at Southwark Playhouse

Reviewed on 10th October 2023

by Anna Studsgarth

Photography by Charles Flint

Previously reviewed at Southwark Playhouse:

The Changeling

The Changeling