Tag Archives: Macbeth

MACBETH

★★★★

Bread and Roses Theatre

MACBETH

Bread and Roses Theatre

★★★★

“The atmosphere is not built with materials, but with sound, silence, and breath”

On a stark, shadow-drenched stage, Macbeth breathes again – visceral, raw, and chillingly relevant. This stripped-back production brings Shakespeare’s tragedy into the present with terrifying clarity, proving that ambition, guilt, and power never go out of fashion. There are no elaborate sets, no grandiose costumes, only two actors, their voices, their presence, and the weight of one of the most haunting plays ever written.

Ant Henson and Martha Ibbotson deliver performances of remarkable intensity and intelligence. Together, they inhabit a multitude of roles with seamless dexterity, shifting personas with only the subtlest changes in posture, tone, and gaze. Their chemistry on stage is magnetic, and their understanding of the text runs deep. At times, it feels like Macbeth and Lady Macbeth are not just being portrayed, but lived. Shakespeare would no doubt recognise his words in their mouths, and perhaps even nod in approval at the fearless urgency with which they resurrect his work.

This is theatre reduced to its purest form. With no props or scenery to rely on, the setting is conveyed entirely through the text. The actors’ words become the landscape: we see the misty highlands of Scotland, the candlelit corridors of Dunsinane, and the eerie, wind-swept heath where the witches deliver their fateful prophecies, all summoned through Shakespeare’s language and the evocative delivery of the performers. The atmosphere is not built with materials, but with sound, silence, and breath.

Produced by Most Rare Vision, this minimalist masterpiece is supported by the precise and evocative work of Shelton Wong on sound and lighting. The lights do not simply illuminate, they sculpt the space, casting long shadows and sudden bursts of intensity that mirror the psychological descent of the characters.

A nod also goes to associate producer Emma Louise-Price for her contribution behind the scenes, helping bring the vision to the stage with care and clarity.

This Macbeth is not a comfortable experience, and it shouldn’t be. It’s a visceral, lean, and emotionally charged retelling that strips the story to its bloody core. The result is a chillingly modern portrait of human ambition and ruin. It doesn’t just retell Shakespeare’s tale; it reclaims it for today.

 

Bread and Roses Theatre

Reviewed on 27th May 2025

by Beatrice Morandi

Photography by Barbara Szente

 

 


 

 

Previously reviewed at this venue:

SOBRIETY ON THE ROCKS | ★★★★ | July 2022

 

MACBETH

MACBETH

MACBETH

MACBETH

★★★★

In Cinemas

MACBETH

In Cinemas

★★★★

“For Tennant’s performance alone, it is worth seeing this production”

After a critically acclaimed run at the Donmar Warehouse, Max Webster’s Macbeth is being brought to the screen. Filmed theatre is a tricky beast, on the one hand it provides accessibility and longevity, on the other it often struggles to capture the pin-drop intensity of being in the room. This film manages, mostly, to capture the magic. It’s a different experience but it’s still a sublime production.

Webster’s thoroughly modern and psychologically fraught show, pares back the theatricality and leaves us with a claustrophobic tale of untamed ambition and hubris.

We open on a close shot of a bowl of water. Blood drips into it, droplet by droplet. David Tennant as Macbeth, sits, wringing the blood from a cloth. The tight shot of his face allows us to see every ripple of anguish. For his performance, the film is worth it. He is tortured and conniving, witty and sensual, mad and ashamed. It is the kind of performance that defines a character. It’ll be referred to in textbooks of the future.

The design is sparse and monochromic. A bright white stage (designed by Rosanna Vize), actors in black (save Lady Macbeth in white) and a dark glass backdrop. Through this we see the larger cast, multi-roling into a chorus, who commentate and berate from the other side. The glass is interesting, it allows some chilling moments (a running child covered in blood, tree branches tickling the glass) but the brightness of the white stage is more effective. The film includes aerial shots, allowing us to see people lying on the stage, dancing on the stage, dying on the stage. This is a bonus of the film; it gives you a chance to view the piece from every angle.

In the stage play Webster had audience members wear headphones, with actors whispering in their ears to create a near immersive surround sound. This works in a cinema, and does make the audience feel more immersed, though it lacks the innovative punch of the original concept.

While it’s really Tennant’s show, the rest of the cast are very strong. Cush Jumbo as Lady Macbeth is a loving version, coming alive in her frustration and embarrassment at her husband’s unravelling. Their connection, and chemistry, gives a sexy heartbeat to the relationship. Jatinder Singh Randhawa as the Porter is hilarious, ad-libbing away and playing on the audience’s headphone wearing. Rona Morison as Lady Macduff is subtle and tragic. Noof Ousellam’s Macduff brings tears to the eyes in his quiet grief, definitely making him an actor to look out for.

The more theatrical moments don’t translate so well to screen, the visit from the witches fails to stir the necessary fearfulness. The show chooses the psychological over the magical, which works, but means when it strays into prophecy it feels incongruous. Similarly, what gets noticed on screen is less forgiving. The costumes leave a little to be desired, for instance everyone is in patent leather Chelsea boots. Interestingly that’s something that would be easily ignored on stage, but is glaring on screen.

This has not entirely converted me to the wonders of filmed theatre, but it has definitely softened me towards it. While it is undoubtably not as good as being there, it is a close second. For Tennant’s performance alone, it is worth seeing this production.



MACBETH

In Cinemas from 5th February

Reviewed on 20th January 2025

by Auriol Reddaway

Photography by Marc Brenner

 

 

 


 

 

Previously reviewed at the Donmar Warehouse:

NATASHA, PIERRE & THE GREAT COMET OF 1812 | ★★★★★ | December 2024
SKELETON CREW | ★★★★ | July 2024
THE HUMAN BODY | ★★★ | February 2024
LOVE AND OTHER ACTS OF VIOLENCE | ★★★★ | October 2021

MACBETH

MACBETH

MACBETH