Reviews
Much Ado About Nothing
Oxford Times
13/12/07
Tomahawk's new production of Much Ado About Nothing is further proof, if any were needed, that it was Shakespeare, not Jane Austen, who originated the genre now known as romantic comedy.
Returning from war to their home in Messina, two contrasting love-starved heroes, the endearingly naïve Claudio (Tom Bateman) and the cynical Benedick (Alex Nicholls) set about making up for lost time in the battlefields of love. However, love's path was never an easy one. Everybody can see that Benedick is infatuated with Beatrice (Clare Denton); everybody, that is, aside from the couple themselves. More worryingly, nobody can see that the dastardly Don John (Joseph Adams) is intent on destroying Claudio's burgeoning relationship with the Governor's daughter Hero (Natalie McCormack). It falls to a charmingly shambolic leader of the local watch Dogberry (played by the play's director Ali Nunn) to save the day and let love take its true course.
Ali Nunn's production is at its strongest when the play is at its most comic and deceptively throwaway. He lets the language speak for itself in a simple, bright and airy set. He illustrates proceedings with dance sequences, the occasional burst of song and a Cole Porter-style light jazz soundtrack. Above all, the production remains a testament to Shakespeare's presentation of an endearingly positive world where the emotional truth will always come out. It's a play about the positive influence of friendship and good intentions that influence the lives of other people for the better.
The text's key pleasure is the quick-fire exchanges shared between Beatrice and Benedick, and it's captured with a surprising freshness here. Nicholls's Benedick is an expressive, wiry and melancholically jaded figure, who clearly relishes testing the wits of the guarded, yet warm, figure of Denton's Beatrice. The two actors make you realise how irreverent the play can be; love is something that Shakespeare takes off its pedestal and puts it under his spotlight. The same can be said of organised authority; Nunn's scene-stealing Dogberry clearly highlights how pompous the likes of the army's commander Don Pedro (played with gusto by Edward Blagrove) can be.
The joy of Nunn's production is that it reminds us of how relevant and accessible Shakespeare can be if it's played well. Too many semi-amateur productions have actors either simply reciting or shouting their lines, making the Bard's poetry feel stilted, rather than beautifully crafted and lived-in. Although occasionally guilty of that, this adaptation feels heartfelt, and therefore was truly heart-warming. The play runs until tomorrow night at the OFS studio.
James Benefield
DAILY INFORMATION
13/12/07
If you are considering at all the theatre this winter, may I personally recommend Tomahawk’s superb ‘Much Ado about Nothing’ as your first point of call. Having seen this Shakespeare classic several times before, I can honestly say that this ranks extremely highly on my list of favourites.
What struck me first when leaving the theatre was the immense sense of completion; the in depth analysis of all of the characters, performed with the utmost focus and attention to detail by the entire cast of strong actors, left an audience being totally swept up and engaged at almost every moment of the evening.
The play begins with the ever lovely town of Messina, with beautiful dancers and merry banter creating a dream like state of tranquility and calm. This is disturbed very swiftly by the arrival of the army, who jump start the play into a gear that one believes the ‘locals’ of the town are not used to. The entire play is then performed I believe almost immaculately well with the attention of the audience being held at all times.
As well as the older member of the cast who performed brilliantly well such as Alex Nicholls in the role of ‘Benedick’ and Claire Denton as ‘Beatrice’ as well as Joe Kenneway as ‘Leonato’ and Joseph Adams as ‘Don John the Bastard’, I was extremely impressed with the young talent of this cast. Tom Bateman, in the role of ‘Claudio’ performed extremely well, showing a range of emotions from romance and innocence to anger and repentance. Catherine Marriot and Rachel Johnson also formed delightful servants to the beautiful ‘Hero’ (Natalie McCormack), and were clear examples, that apply to the entire cast, of how stories can be created with the smallest of parts. One of the more complex and underplayed characters of this Shakespeare comedy is ‘Don Pedro’, who I thought was played very strongly by Edward Blagrove.
I would also like to congratulate the director Alastair Nunn for not only a superb production but a good performance as ‘Dogberry’. One is curious to know how he managed to direct the scenes he performed in…
Finally I would like to congratulate the entire cast as a whole. Unfortunately there is not space enough to praise you all, but praise is what you deserve. A thoroughly enjoying performance that you should all be very proud of.
A. Welder
13/12/07
This is an outstanding production of one of Shakespeare’s best–loved comedies. It was completely sold out last night, so rush along and get tickets if you can. Tomahawk Productions is a company that interestingly combines “town” with “gown” so that you get some actors who aren’t students and can be variously aged. Their interpretation of Much Ado included the sensible casting of somewhat older actors to play Beatrice and Benedick, while Claudio and Hero are lissome slips of things. They achieved a very light and sparkling feeling, mixing the dazzling repartee with superbly choreographed and timed physical action (and some very pretty dancing) which did not in the least detract from the more serious issues unfolded in the play, or the potentially tragic consequences of the slander of Hero.
Clare Denton was a simply wonderful Beatrice, easily the equal of Emma Thompson in the movie; she was beautiful, she was charming, she was warm, and she had a kind of volcanic core of rage inside her which made her response to the public humiliation of her cousin absolutely believable although it was fiercely controlled – she is the only actress I have ever seen in this part who uttered that stunning line: “Oh, God! That I were a man – I would eat his heart in the market place!” without even raising her voice, and yet it was utterly compelling and powerful. I once had the pleasure of seeing her enchanting the audience of the OUP Christmas Show as Lara Croft – I mean people actually fell off their seats she was so funny – and I’m delighted she has had an opportunity to show the range and depth of her huge acting talent with this role. This Benedick was a splendid foil to her, a tall rangy tease hiding his vulnerability with jokes.
But the revelation of this production comes, rather surprisingly, with the younger couple, Claudio and Hero. Claudio is a very difficult part to inhabit successfully, because when all’s said and done, and we all understand that he wouldn’t have been so mean to Hero if he hadn’t been deceived by Don John, still it is actually Claudio’s own idea to have this immensely cruel and humiliating public rejection and denunciation of the girl he is supposed to be in love with. It’s quite hard to find the motivation for doing that in such a way as to not completely lose the sympathy of a modern audience (albeit last night’s was principally composed of teenage girls, for some reason, who I suspect would forgive this Claudio quite a lot – he is gorgeous). Usually Claudio is played as someone too young and callow to understand the consequences of his actions – this is the rather unsatisfactory solution adopted in Branagh’s otherwise excellent movie version – but here they went instead for a Claudio who is a man of very deep feelings. He is dreadfully wounded by Hero’s supposed betrayal, which makes his over-reaction understandable; and he suffers so terribly when he thinks Hero is dead that you do feel he has been punished enough. He was also very good at the comedy. His Hero was a ravishingly beautiful creature who suffered and triumphed exquisitely well.
The costumes were Edwardian, though the music was definitely not, which was a bit puzzling; and the director, clearly a very able chap (Ali Nunn) played Dogberry dressed as a geography teacher circa 1977, which was even more puzzling. The uniforms sported by the soldierly male characters were extremely appealing, and one felt slightly disappointed that they couldn’t find a nice frock for Beatrice that would fit properly. But these are teeny quibbles – for the meat of the play, it was first class and extremely enjoyable.
Andrea Hopkins
The Importance of Being Earnest
DAILY INFORMATION
20/06/07
This quintessential Oxford Summer play contains some of the funniest lines written in the English language, all successfully delivered in this well-cast production from an ensemble of established local actors. This insightful casting of characters adds clarity to a famously convoluted plot of mistaken identity. Rachel Johnson plays a delightfully young English Rose, Cecily Cardew, who is bewitchingly both innocent and knowing. Helen Taylor gives a suitably prim tutor to Cecily in Miss Prism, her professional exterior shattered only by her clear devotion to the bookish clergyman Dr Chasuble (Ali Nunn). William Hone brings a well-poised manner to the proceedings through the roles of long suffering Butlers, Lane and Merriman. Mary Stuck’s well-groomed performance of Lady Bracknell is often subtle but climactic where it counts and is worth the ticket price alone. However much of the effervescent character comedy is candy coating for Wilde’s true message delivered by Bracknell’s daughter the steadfast, in omitable Gwendolen (Aneeqa Khan). Along with young Cecily, Gwendolen goes to great pains to wed a gentleman with a suitable Christian name, and it is these strident efforts that leaves the audience to contemplate how important it is to indeed be earnest about daily affairs.
A play about appearances, as Gwendolen has it, ‘We live, as I hope you know, Mr Worthing, in an age of ideals’ seems fitting to be viewed in a week that has been filled with celebrity footballers’ weddings in the Oxfordshire locality. Although Gwendolen has it again, ‘In matters of grave importance, style, not sincerity, is the vital thing’. It seems appearances matter to us now more than ever. Gwendolen is well versed in what society expects of her and she addresses her fiancé, ‘If you are not too long, I will wait here for you all my life’ in words arguably conducive to inclusion in an episode of Footballer’s Wives. Aneeqa Khan brings Gwendolen’s inherited love of etiquette to the fore, much to the enjoyment of the audience. This incredibly well-dressed cast is costumed by Belinda Bannerman of The Ballroom and much attention to detail has been placed in the furniture supplied by Northlight Homestore. Two simple set designs, one of Hertfordshire garden trellises and another of the lounge in a Mayfair town work well, aided with intriguing modern art hung on the black wall of the studio theatre. The two heroes, Algernon Moncrieff (Alex Nicholls) and Jack Worthing (Joseph Adams), do well in bringing out the simple tale of two good chums having a lark or ‘Bunburying’. But of course this is Wilde inviting us to laugh at the tail chasing involved in observing strict etiquette and Edward Blagrove’s direction embraces this. The lines are spoken clearly and with integrity and truth. The cast reflect the true genius of one of England’s greatest wits.
Lita Doolan
20/06/07
Performed in the intimate confines of the Burton Taylor theatre, this Wilde classic immersed the audience in the ridiculously satirical lives of Victorian society types.
The folly of two gentlemen living double lives to avoid responsibilities is exposed in various comedic twists and turns. Jack lives in the country, and escapes to the city as ‘Ernest’, whilst Algernon lives in the city, and escapes to the country to visit a fictional friend called Bunbury, who always seems to be conveniently ill. Jack loves the beautiful Miss Fairfax, but is distraught to learn that it is his invented name ‘Ernest’ that draws her to him. Though Miss Fairfax accepts his proposal for marriage, her mother, Lady Bracknell, denies her permission to "marry into a cloakroom and form an alliance with a parcel", as Ernest's whole family history consists of being found in a handbag in the Victoria station cloakroom.
On his next Bunburying jaunt, Algernon goes to Jack’s country house posing as Ernest, whom the residents have never met but believe to be Jack’s errant younger brother. He falls in love with Cecily, Jack’s beautiful young ward, who has already decided she must marry Ernest based on Jack’s descriptions. And so they fall in love and he proposes. Miss Fairfax arrives in search of her Ernest, and hilarity ensues as the thinly veiled niceties give way to downright nastiness as the girls discover they are both engaged to ‘Ernest’. Jack and Algernon soon arrive, and clear up the confusion and win back their affections by both promising to be re-christened as Ernest. The final piece of the puzzle is the discovery that Jack and Algernon are actually brothers, and that an absent minded nanny left him in the train station 28 years earlier. Of course, Lady Bracknell can then give her approval to their marriage as he is her own family. Jack, with his newfound family tree then discovers that his was originally named after his father, Ernest. So he had been ‘earnest’ all along. Ooh the double entendre – delightful.
There were two sets – simple and elegant, one for each act. A few key pieces of furniture, along with interesting canvasses and the all important tea (steaming hot, how civilized) and cakes set the scene. The ever-so-posh accents of the cast were wickedly funny, and the cast was superb. There were a few line fluffs, but nothing serious enough to detract from the performance. Either through excellent casting, excellent acting or both, the personalities and appearance of the characters was spot on. The youth of Cecily, the elegance and beauty of Gwendolen, the absurdity of Algernon and the brashness of Jack were perfect.
This production by the Tomahawk Theatre Company does justice to one of Wilde’s comedic masterpieces. They expertly bring to life the wittiness and satire of his writing for a very funny and professional performance. It’s definitely worth going, if you can manage to get a ticket – several of the performances are already sold out!
Kate Bottriell
Oxford Times
The first night of Tomahawk's production of The Importance of Being Earnest was sold out, which augurs well for the rest of the week. It also means that if you want to catch this excellent foray into Oscar Wilde territory, you may need to act quickly.
The intimacy of the Burton Taylor Studio theatre lends itself well to the piece that Wilde himself described as "exquisitely trivial", bringing into sharp focus the general silliness and web of deceit that propel it along. This is a faithful recreation of the Wilde classic, with simple sets and delightful period costumes that perfectly capture the quintessential charm and decadence of Wilde's England. The play was written in 1895, but its delicate wit still works over 100 years later. Lady Bracknell's line about education in England having no effect, for example, raised a knowing laugh from Tuesday's audience.
A highly talented cast moved the action along at good pace, interpreting their characters with intelligence and raising plenty of laughs along the way. Even the most familiar lines - and the play is littered with them - were injected with fresh humour. For me, two members of the cast stood out - Alex Nicholls with his larger-than-life Algernon Moncrieff, whom he plays with appropriate boisterousness, and Mary Stuck with her imperious Lady Bracknell. Joseph Adams gives a thoughtful portrayal of Jack Worthing, but on the opening night seemed, in the first act particularly, to be just a little too hesitant, as though he was still trying to remember his lines. Aneeqa Khan (pictured) brings just the right amount of poise to Gwendolen Fairfax, while Rachel Johnson captures the childlike qualities of Cecily Cardew.
There are strong contributions, too, from Helen Taylor as Miss Prism and Ali Nunn as Dr Chasuble, while William Hone draws a fine contrast between the two butlers, Lane and Merriman.
The Importance of Being Earnest continues until tomorrow. Box office: 01865 305305. For more information about Tomahawk, visit www.tomahawktheatre.co.uk
Nicola Lisle
The Winter’s Tale
Oxford Times
Magic Moments!
It's the panto season, which is perhaps why Tomahawk Productions is staging The Winter's Tale rather than more substantial Shakespearean fare. This magical tragicomedy boasts bumbling dolts, a villainous king, an impish rogue and a pair of soppy lovers who discover that true romance transcends class boundaries. And the extraordinary finale to this curious story would not be out of place in a production also featuring a busty Widow Twankey or a genie in a lamp.
Shakespeare decides to flout the rule about never working with children or animals, as the play features two youngsters and a bear, although I don't think anyone will mind me revealing that in this production there is no live beast to pursue and devour the hapless Antigonus (Frazz Jarvis). He has been ordered by the tyrant Leontes (Alex Nicholls) to abandon on a distant shore what Leontes believes to be the offspring of a liaison between his wife Hermione (Porscha Fermanis) and another king, Polixenes (Alex Kaye), who has spent - wait for it - nine months at Leontes' court, and appears to be very close to Hermione. But the baby, Perdita (Grace Mountain) survives, after being rescued by shepherds.
Director Oliver Baird has decided to avoid any suggestion of flirting between Hermione and Polixenes in the opening scenes, which means a lot is asked of the talented Nicholls to show a man who is clearly delusional. He puts considerable energy into the role, coming across as a pathetic crank as well as a bully. Some of the pithy dialogue is a treat: the raging Leontes even accuses Hermione of being a "bedswerver" who must stand trial - with fatal results.
Despite the anger of the first act, we veer into pastoral territory after the interval, in which jolly peasants prance, lovers swoon and a leering crook, Autolycos (a frenetic Bill Moulford), entertains the audience with his cunning - on Tuesday's opening night, he even pickpocketed the cast as they trotted on stage to take a bow. So does it all end happily? Well sort of.
Paul Stammers
Daily Information
27th December 2006
Having never seen The Winters Tale performed live, Tomahawk's well-edited version of this Shakespeare comedy was all in all a wonderful night at the theatre for me.
Opening with the mysterious character of 'Time' (Jessica Butcher), the play's initial mood was one of solemnity and a foreshadowing of the dark and jealous first half of the play that was to be dominated by the well controlled performance of Alex Nicholls in the role of Leontes. The shift in moods from dark to comic was brought in spectacularly in the second half with the brilliant portrayal of Autolycus (Bill Moulford, who stole the show with his shifting between characters).
True to their aim of presenting young talent in Oxfordshire, Florizel, one of the lovers of the play, was strongly played by Tom Bateman (17 years old) who fitted well into the cast of mature and experienced actors. All in all, A Winter's Tale was an enjoyable evening, one that would easily prompt me into seeing their next production.
A. Welder
19th December 2006
The Winter's Tale is not often performed. Maybe because it is a strange combination of the comic and tragic, or maybe because it is hard to pull off and there is easier Shakespearean fodder out there? Tomahawk have been brave, and they pull it off! The set is interesting and the performances of a high standard. For me it is hard to look further than Alex Nicholls' first half performance and Bill Moulford's second half one. Nicholls delivers Shakspeare with wonderful precision and true understanding of his text! Well done.
Moulford's performance is a classic depiction of how Shakespeare can be modified for any time period and context if played the right way! The only thing letting it down was the fact that you could see the actors walking around stage left and distracting from the action, and some of the younger performers were a lot better at acting than reacting but these are mere niggles in what was a wonderful evening at the theatre! Well done Tomahawk, you deserve a very merry Christmas!!
E. Blagrove
13th December 2006
The last Shakespeare play I saw in Oxford was A Midsummer Night's Dream, al fresco, on a hot August night at the Harcourt Arboretum, so it seemed rather apt that The Winter's Tale was performed on a windy and rainy December evening, in the rather more cosy confines of the Old Fire Station. What's more, the opening night was a sell out.
In their own words, Tomahawk are 'a dynamic theatre company dedicated to promoting creative talent in Oxford,' so what would they make of Shakespeare's melodramatic portrayal of uncontrollable jealousy and its consequences? In my opinion they did pretty well.
The set is kept basic: a black and white timber-style backboard, a step and a couple of stage blocks are all that are used throughout the entire performance. The lighting is used to great effect as a scene setter; lots of dappled winter light and shades of blue for mood.
The story revolves around the outrageous actions of Leontes, well played by a wiry and manic Alex Nicholls. So totally consumed by jealous suspicion, he is convinced that his wife Hermione (a delicate performance by Porsha Fermanis) is carrying a baby sired by his friend Polixenes.
His spiralling condition leads him to throw his wife in jail for treason, and to instigate the poisoning of Polixenes ¬(who later escapes), the death of his beloved son, the supposed death of his wife and the banishing of his new born baby girl. To top that, his behaviour drives his courtiers and all around him nuts. You wouldn¹t get all this in a modern soap!
The Winter's Tale is a portrait of a man in crisis, and the frustration felt by those who love and serve him. It is a deep study of jealousy, in which the victim knows he is trapped in a prison but can't escape, let alone rewind the tape. Kate Sandow's performance as the mediating and reasoning Paulina, was, I felt, one of the strongest of the night, so fantastic was her stage presence.
I found the second half infinitely more lively; the acting and timing just seemed to gel better. It takes us to the adoptive home of Leontes' long lost daughter Perdita (sweetly portrayed by Grace Mountain) during a sheep shearing festival, where we get lots of colourful action including a kind of hoe-down. Alistair Nunn gives a good and animated performance as the Young Shepherd, but Bill Moulford's pick-pocketing scally Autolycus absolutely steals the second half.
Time, played, or should I say sung, by Jessica Butcher, appears at intervals throughout the performance, speaking almost as the voice of conscience. I loved the scene where a grieving and destroyed Leontes is slumped centre stage, while she sings a haunting rendition of 'I Get Along Without You Very Well.' It was so powerful that I felt sorry for this broken tyrant.
The final reconciliation scene is superbly delivered and very moving, so although some bits of the performance were a bit rough around the edges, on the whole Tomahawk's rendition of The Winter's Tale warmed up a chilly evening.
Nadine Mills
Little Eyolf
Oxford Times
16th June 2006
Local Theatre group Tomahawk have every reason to be proud of their latest venture with a new production of the rarely performed Ibsen drama Little Eyolf in a translation by Michael Meyer. The intimate space of this studio theatre lends itself to the intricacy of this great theatrical writer. The piece impacts powerfully on the audience who are sitting just feet away from the intense action.
It’s 100 years since this play was written but it seemed as fresh and relevant as if it were penned only yesterday. Nevertheless, it is redolent with influences from its era such as the development of psychoanalysis and symbolism. It is of its time and yet still speaks to us now. The hero, Alfred Allmers has decided to give up his career as a writer to devote himself to the well-being of his disabled son. His wife Rita resents everything that takes his attention from her be it a book or, shockingly, their child. The marriage is a claustrophobic battleground —watching the excellent Nina Lucy .Wylde and Alex Nicholls verbally slug it out is like observing two souls in Purgatory.
Equally gripping is Felicity McCormack as Alfred's too-intimate sister, Asta. There are secrets in this marriage that are cleverly alluded to and wonderfully revealed by the fine cast. When tragedy threatens to destroy them all, Asta's suitor Borgheijm, played strongly by Alister Nunn, who has seemed an uncomplicated sort of chap, becomes the moral centre of the play. The tragic Young Eyolf is played with a maturity beyond his years by the assured Nathaniel Heather, while Polly Mountain regally takes on the symbolist weight of the play as the mysterious Rat Wife in an eerie but deadly serious portrayal.
Little Eyolf 'will be on until tomorrow but tickets are almost sold out. So if you don't want to miss this excellent production, you will have to move fast It’s more than worth the effort.
Angie Johnson
Daily Information
14th June 2006
Adultery. Incest. Death. Unwanted children. Tearful departures. We'll have to be forgiven if we confuse Ibsen's drama with a day-time soap. This is not an insult. Where Ibsen's post-Christian philosophizing seems mostly stilted and superficial, his dialogue and drama still entertain as well as Eastenders.
The play centres around Alfred, and his relationship to his wife, his (not quite familial- but not quite erotic-) loving half-sister, his son Eyolf, and a book he's spent his whole life writing on "responsibility". Each of the last three manages to capture his undevoted attention at one point or another, whether it be out of love, a sense of duty or by a mystical encounter with that old chap Death, on a stroll in the mountains. And each of these sources of meaning in his life vie for his attention and, at times, virtuously step aside for the others. That is until Eyolf dies, throwing everything into question.
The production itself veers toward melodrama - in a good way. The emotions rise and fall, sometimes without warning, in a way that is totally engaging but not always very realistic. Perhaps in Ibsen's day the controversial material alone held the audience's rapt attention, but this production thrives on the unrelenting energy and focus of the acting. Nina Lucy Wylde shows incredible range, bobbing between emotions naturally, and providing a nice counterpart to Alex Nicholls who, despite his best efforts, can't quite wipe the contented smile off his face. While she rises and falls with the ever-changing revelations in the play, Nicholls is carried along by them - both approaches are equally engaging. Felicity McCormack is good and helped along by her pretty features, while Alistair Nunn manages to capture the very essence of the jilted lover in an incredibly poignant final encounter.
Oliver Morrison
Macbeth
Daily Information
Before we go on, I must confess to not being a Shakespeare buff. In fact I have not seen a Shakespeare play since I was at school, which was…ooh a good few years ago now, and I never paid it much attention back then. So as I have nothing to compare it to, my opinion is unsullied and objective, but I will not be too highbrow here as most people reading this will be far more expert in the works of the Bard than myself.
The play was performed very powerfully and dramatically, with limited use of props (they were not needed) but all emphasis on the delivery of the dialogue, which was done flawlessly and impeccably by all the actors. From the start when we see the witch, and hear the spooky whisperings echoing around the theatre, the emotions, fear and madness of this story are apparent throughout. The lighting was simple but effective and added to the sinister nature of key scenes – however when the lights are turned on the audience during the murder of Lady Macduff, it was disturbing and uncomfortable, although that of course is how it is intended. A word of warning – the lights in the final scene are uncomfortably bright, so much so that many of the audience had to look away which spoiled the fight scene between Macbeth and Macduff somewhat.
As aforementioned, the madness running throughout the play was well conveyed where it was addressed, with the whisperings and hallucinations, although I felt it could have been extended further. The chemistry between Macbeth and Lady Macbeth was believable and truly conveyed the power she had over him. Macbeth, played by Nick Quartley, was very good – understated but dramatic (for some reason he reminded me of Billy Bob Thornton) and Nina Lucy Wilde played Lady Macbeth harshly and cold-heartedly, just as it should be. All the supporting cast were very powerful, in particular Tim Younger as Macduff.
The play runs for approximately 80 minutes without an interval so do make sure you visit the little boys/girls room beforehand and bring a drink in with you if you need one, as there is no means of escape during the performance!
Overall, from a novice’s viewpoint, a simple, effective, professional and enjoyable performance – I can see why it’s a sellout and on the back of this would happily go to a Tomahawk production again.
Oxford Times
Tomahawk's production of Macbeth is a significantly reduced version ("cut but not slaughtered," said the young man at front of house disarmingly) that runs for a little under an hour and a half. It is not clear what this is intended to achieve, although the result is pleasing and rarely detracts from the original. The overwhelming effect of the intimate setting and the compressed script is a darkness in which the audience is complicit. We become part of the plotting and deceit and can do nothing to stop it. When Lady Macduff (Felicity McCormack) is. killed, her terrible screams come from our midst, while the all too real ghost of Banquo (Bill Moulford) is as hard for us to ignore as it is for Macbeth himself.
The relationship between Macbeth (Nick Quartley) and his wife (Nina Lucy Wylde) is first and foremost a sexual one and it's their intimacy that spurs Macbeth into action. A bare stage and judicious lighting becomes in this context an integral part of the action. A semi-circle of black stools are the only props, and the play opens with Duncan's court sitting silently round him, and a single witch (Felicity McCormack again) motionless before them. The final tableau returns to this image, but now with the young Malcolm centre stage and the destruction that has brought him to it neatly conveyed by the empty seats among his depleted entourage.
Lady Macbeth's sleep¬walking scene is finely done. The onlookers on stage are almost breathing down her neck, yet 'she remains totally engrossed in her obsessive hand-washing.
I have a slight unease at the use of strobe lighting in a studio theatre. While it is employed sparingly and there is adequate warning of it posted outside, the dazzling flashes of brightness as Macbeth and Macduff engage in their final battle are painful and — I'd have thought — potentially harmful to the eyes of the cast and audience who are closest to them. But that aside, there is little to fault in this intriguingly reduced Macbeth.