The signs outside the Gielgud Theatre on a cold, rainy Wednesday night on Shaftsbury Avenue said it all: FULL HOUSE.
This latest production of Macbeth is visually stunning, and has four main draw cards that are keeping the crowds queuing in the rain for returned tickets.
First up, it’s not often you can see your favourite Star Trek actor treading the boards. Patrick Stewart, famed for his role in the cult TV series, is playing the lead, supported by Kate Fleetwood as Lady Macbeth.
Secondly, it’s Macbeth – a perennial favourite, a classic, and studied by English students the world over. Perhaps for this reason the audience included crowds of school students, keen to see the tale of corruption and power played out in the flesh.
Thirdly, the production has received several awards including two London Evening Standard Theatre Awards – best actor went to Star Trek’s Patrick Stewart, Rupert Goold took best director, and it was shortlisted for best design, only losing to the National’s War Horse. Patrick Stewart also won a Theatrical Management Association (TMA) award.
The fourth, and most compelling reason is the production itself. This is Rupert Goold’s inventive staging of Macbeth, first performed at the Minerva Studio in Chichester, in which he sets the tragedy in Stalinist Russia. Mixing audio and projected images of war, much of the action takes place in hospitals, morgues, kitchens and battlefields.
The witches, rather than being clichéd and barely believable were the strongest part of a strong production. Whimsical, comic, but frightening, they were dressed as nurses wielding syringes, knives, and an impressive power over the stage and audience.
Coming back after interval was an ingenious trick. Like pressing the repeat button on your DVD, the actors chillingly re-enact the banquet scene that had ended the first half – this time with a twist.
Sound effects are loud. Gunshots wear thin, but the lighting and staging effects go beyond impressive. It’s a spine tingling production with excellent acting that reminds us why Shakespeare is still relevant today, and will be tomorrow.
While many ‘modernisations’ of Shakespeare can feel forced, this one hit the spot. It’s just a pity all theatre isn’t this clever, and that its run draws to a close on 1 December. Queue while you can. It’s worth it.
