Reviewed by Emma
Beyond the Curtain was gifted free tickets in return for an honest review.
A Scottish general is prophesied by witches to become king. Fuelled by ambition and spurred on by his wife, Macbeth murders King Duncan to seize the throne. This act leads to a descent into paranoia and further violence as he attempts to secure his power, ultimately leading to his downfall and the restoration of the rightful heir, Malcolm.
Beyond the Curtain was gifted free tickets in return for an honest review.
A Scottish general is prophesied by witches to become king. Fuelled by ambition and spurred on by his wife, Macbeth murders King Duncan to seize the throne. This act leads to a descent into paranoia and further violence as he attempts to secure his power, ultimately leading to his downfall and the restoration of the rightful heir, Malcolm.
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| Photo by Jonathan Pryke |
The meeting of Macbeth (Andy Longley-Brown) and Banquo (Max Maher) with the three witches (played with creepy aplomb by Alfi Levy, Natalie Tebbutt and Michelle Louise Scott) is played out very well. With the whole setting of the play being in some undeterminable war-torn location, having the three witches as nurses is a genius move. Walking into the theatre before the play even starts, you’re greeted by injured soldiers being treated by said nurses on stage. It’s all very immersive and really drops you into the action. And say what you want; the NHS might have its problems, but it doesn’t have witches disguised as nurses delivering ominous prophecies to men with questionable mental health.
Longley-Brown plays the man in question with a subtlety that you wouldn’t necessarily expect from a Shakespeare play. There’s no loud proclamations of every line to the audience here; no, this Macbeth is real, flawed and very, very (sort of) normal … until the killing starts. And that quality might have worked against Longley-Brown a bit, as he goes from “I’m just a regular guy” to “LET’S KILL THE KING!” in a matter of seconds. Something about that doesn’t quite add up but you’ll soon be too swept up in the bloodshed to remember.
Macbeth is helped along by his well-she-clearly-has-issues-doesn’t-she wife, played by Rachael Barker-Evans. Lady Macbeth’s roller coaster into paranoid sleepwalking is acted well, going from supportive wife to duplicitous influencer via moments of genuine fear. Barker-Evans’ “out, damn spot” scene was brilliant, the audience cringing as a whole when she pulled out the Domestos to wash her hands.
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| Photo by Jonathan Pryke. |
Maher’s Banquo is the only person who seems genuinely perturbed by the witches. The relationship between Macbeth and Banquo is never quite clear but Maher seems to be edging down the route of clueless friend very well. There’s an awkward charm to him; he’s working the adorable father-son combo here with Fleance (played by Teddy Lander) and you know something bad is going to happen but you’re still desperately hoping that maybe in this version Banquo and son don’t die … but then we wouldn’t get the absolutely marvellous scene of Banquo’s ghost rocking up at the feast and convincing Macbeth he was going crazy. This scene was very well done; kudos to Towers, Maher and the sound / lighting team for this.
The play culminates with a fight to the death between Macbeth and Macduff (played by Steve Feeney). Macduff can be a character you either love or hate, depending on how likable the Macbeth is, and while I didn’t hate Macduff, I was definitely rooting for Macbeth in the final knife fight (which probably says a lot more about me than the actors, to be fair). Feeney plays Macduff with an unflinching honesty and rawness; you really feel his pain upon learning his kids and wife have been killed, and you also feel for Rosse (played magnificently by Phil Norman) who has to be the one dropping that bombshell. The whole play is a masterclass in building tension to an inevitable explosion.
Special shout outs must go to Logan Grendon (Malcolm) and Tristan Olesiak (Donalbain / Apparition). Grendon is incredibly watchable as Malcolm; you couldn’t take your eyes off him during his act two scene with Macduff and Rosse. I’ve only ever seen Grendon do comedy so it was gratifying to find out he can handle dramatic tension as well. Olesiak was brilliant; this is his first play (if it didn’t say that in the programme, you’d never know) and you could be forgiven for not expecting much. But he commands the stage and holds his own alongside those who’ve been acting much longer. There’s a beautiful moment in act one between Malcolm and Duncan, and Grendon and Olesiak are incredible in it.
And now onto the sound and lighting …
Having the dream team of Amanda Priestley (sound) and Jeremy Thompson (lighting) was a masterstroke. The two elements combined to create an atmospheric, foreboding landscape, and really raised the tension. As good as the acting was, I still found myself marvelling over the practical elements of the production; it was by far the best sound and lighting I’ve seen in a long time.
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| Photo by Jonathan Pryke. |
The play wasn’t without its flaws, although this may have been opening night gremlins rather than any one issue. Some of the scene transitions were slow and could have benefited from some different sound / lighting choices to cover actors leaving the stage. The first act felt a lot longer than the second (honestly, the second act flew by) and it seemed that some actors struggled to get out of first gear, and by act two had finally found their feet. And I’m still not sure why ‘Macbeth’, currently on the Year 11 English Curriculum, is using the Easter musical slot at the Little; if the theatre were hoping for school groups to come, the decision to stage it over the Easter holidays is baffling. But those are minor gripes and don’t impact on what is a masterful, visceral and tightly wound production.
In a world where ambition and power still warp the soul, this production reminds us that Shakespeare’s dark mirror still reflects all too clearly.
(Oh, and if men in uniform is your thing, then you’ll be spoilt for choice.)
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Macbeth plays The Little Theatre until Saturday 3rd May 2025. Tickets are available from https://thelittletheatre.co.uk/
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