Macbeth - Shakespeare North Playhouse Review

Review by Jess
Tickets were gifted in return for an honest review

Shakespeare deserves to be seen as it was intended: in the round by candlelight. This certainly was the best part of the production, currently holding its ground at Shakespeare North Playhouse in Prescott.

Photo by Patch Dolan

Directed by Ben Crystal, who also plays the titular role, the production takes place on a completely bare stage, with minimal costume differentiation between the characters. In fact, you really have to look to tell who is a Thane and who is a mere servant, but when you do focus, it is clear. A phenomenal choice is made during Lady Macbeth’s infamous ‘Out, damned spot’ speech to create a dress that looks identical to a bedsheet, and yet, stays up. The choice for the production to be candlelit is, again, inspired: with the characters holding mirrors that reflect the lights back into people’s faces, it creates an eerie and period-typical lighting style that is absolutely fantastic at the creepier, darker moments of the play.

Standout performances are given by Megs Kumari as Lady Macbeth and Crank as King Duncan. The latter has a phenomenal stage presence and leaves you believing that you truly are watching the ancient King of Scotland. Kumari as Lady Macbeth swings from emotionally vulnerable, cruelly calculating, and sinisterly manipulative, and carries the performance in the second half completely.

Despite this, the production unfortunately leaves a lot to the imagination and doesn’t last long in the memory. On a bare stage, Crystal as Macbeth swings between cartoonishly goofy and emotionless and flat, giving none of the emotional range that we expect from the tragic hero. He is, at best, unconvincing, and at worst, unentertaining, to watch. On a bare stage, it is at times difficult to tell what is going on, especially if, like my companion, you have no prior knowledge of the play.

Photo by Patch Dolan.

This does not help the fact that when combined with a confusing set of music from artist and performer Semay Wu (including at one point when she wanders around the stage playing the bow of a cello with what appears to be a pan lid - artistically beautiful and musically stunning, but a very strange performance choice at that moment), it is very difficult to hear what is being said on stage, even when the characters are facing towards you. It makes for a frustrating watch.

My genuine thought when leaving the auditorium, having watched the performers in all black, with a strange undercurrent of music, and an unconvincing male lead, was that I had just watched an A Level Drama performance. Perhaps I am simply not the target audience for this production. Certain elements of it were excellent, and yet most simply fell flat.

Macbeth runs at Shakespeare North Playhouse until Saturday 3rd October 2026. For tickets, visit https://shakespearenorthplayhouse.co.uk/event/macbeth/

Photo by Patch Dolan