Macbeth **

The Lion and Unicorn Theatre, London

“Judicious cutting means that the performance retains most of the nice juicy conversations from the play, whilst still providing director Scott Ellis enough flexibility to add in some unscripted moments or give special creative attention to certain scenes.”

New London Company’s production of Macbeth is a bit of a breath of fresh air: it refuses to take Shakespeare’s play – or its own interpretation of it – too seriously. Peopled by quite a few recent graduates, it does feel a little university production-esque, but it is no less effective for it. Set in The Lion and Unicorn Theatre’s studio space, the lack of any real set and mixture of army costumes and 60s clothes(?) conveys the impression that there has not been a particularly cohesive artistic approach adopted. Instead, the production seems to be all about having fun with the script. Judicious cutting means that the performance retains most of the nice juicy conversations from the play, whilst still providing director Scott Ellis enough flexibility to add in some unscripted moments or give special creative attention to certain scenes. I enjoyed some of the quirkier imaginative flourishes: with witches in drag (I personally liked the gender mix as it stopped it from seeming too try-hard edgy, though I know others would have preferred a unified gender front), a nice ad-libbing reading of the porter’s part (admittedly always the place productions like to make their mark, though no less well handled for it), and a costumed dinner party that had Banquo’s ghost appear in appropriately ghostly attire, these are just three of the more memorable examples that helped to distinguish this production from others. Particularly strong performances were given by Ben Kavanagh and Natasha McLure as Macbeth and his Lady, as well as from Tamara Astor. Yes, I know Tamara, but that shouldn’t diminish the genuine strength of this recommendation: she really made the most of her varying roles, contrasting witching mania, dignified wifedom to Macduff, and some great slapdash comic flair with her inventive recreation of the porter’s role. With intelligent performances, fun creative additions, and a lovely pub downstairs, this production is definitely worth a trip up to London's north.