Engaging, haunting and tragic.
Audiences at The Royal Lyceum Theatre Edinburgh were treated to a spellbinding retelling of Shakespeare’s timeless tragedy with the return of Macbeth (an undoing). Directed and written by the acclaimed Zinnie Harris, this production offered a fresh perspective on tragedy placing Lady Macbeth squarely at the centre of the narrative. Set in the 1930s with a smattering of Shakespearean flair and allusions to the bard’s complete literature peppered throughout, this remix left the audience laughing and gasping in equal measure.
With a witty and brilliant opening performance by Liz Kettle the audience was invited into the so familiar narrative anew. From the famous and haunting invocation by Lady Macbeth, “Come, you spirits, That tend on mortal thoughts, unsex me here”, the tone for the dark and visceral journey unfolded just as we knew it would. In this rendition, Lady Macbeth, portrayed with mesmerizing intensity by Nicole Cooper, drives the relentless pursuit of power that ultimately leads to their undoing blurring the lines between reality and perception.
Harris’s masterful direction and scriptwriting skillfully unravel the complexities of not only Lady Macbeth’s character individually but also relationally. Far from being a mere accessory to her husband’s ambitions, she emerges as a formidable force in her own right with all-encompassing desires for power and motherhood. As her descent into madness and despair unfolds, the audience is compelled to question the true nature of power and its cost.
The production’s staging and design elements further enhance the immersive experience. With unsettling and eerie atmospheric lighting against the evocative set design coupled with the truly haunting sound design, the viewers were transported to a liminal and ungrounded world where madness and murder lurked; every detail contributed to the sense of foreboding and intrigue. In stark contrast, the costumes were vibrant and lovely in keeping with a 1930s silhouette, which presented the perfect backdrop for the shocking amounts of fake blood present throughout the narrative.
All the trappings of Shakespeare were present and accounted for with beautiful acting and diction chiefly among them. The piece as a whole was inaccessible to the uninitiated in the many iterations of the Scottish play. It was refreshing to see it anew, but amid trying to present avant garde theatre it did become demonstrative. As a piece it did not follow the rules in which it established its world building. The mechanics set in place for the actors to interact with the audience were inconsistently applied and— paired with the haphazard integration of other Shakespearean language as well as modern expletives—left the piece feeling slightly underdeveloped.
As a concept the show has much to recommend it. The flow of dialogue was witty and engaging which challenged the original language without forcing it to fit into a different cultural lens. The theatrical effects were highly entertaining and visually stimulating. Slowly, comedically acclimating the audience into the narrative was a brilliant choice that softened the blow of engaging with the tragedy in a different form. Overall, it was splendid and has the potential to be even better with another keen look at accessibility for newer audiences and a break away from the demonstrative.
As the curtain falls on this gripping production, audiences are left to ponder the timeless themes and moral dilemmas that continue to resonate with contemporary relevance. “Macbeth (an undoing)” is a must-see for seasoned theatergoers seeking thought-provoking drama and unforgettable performances. The show remains in residence from May 14 – 25 with tickets available below.
https://lyceum.org.uk/events/macbeth-an-undoing-2024#dates-and-times