MACBETH AT THE ADC

It’s not often that one can associate Macbeth with happiness. The Bard’s Scottish Play is famously gloomy, a gore fest that would out red any blue-bloodied vampire. But happy is what I was knowing that live theatre was back in Cambridge. Well not quite live for this Covid-vulnerable oldie: I opted for the ‘live stream’ offering, rather than the socially-distanced performance on the stage of the real-life 3-D theatre. I was also happy for another very important reason – this was a damned good production that at times had me on the edge of the sofa.

Part of the success of this joint production between Downing and Robinson colleges, was its unfussy simplicity. Shakespeare’s verse was delivered with admirable clarity (even heard on my old laptop). Seb Brindle’s direction let the great play do its work without too many gimmicks (though there was one slip in judgement at the very end of the play – see below).

A dark and spare set gave the players lots of room to move – social distancing rules were cleverly engaged to provide a tellingly disconcerting space between the fractured characters. This is not a play about social intimacy – far from it; no one would want to hug Mr and Mrs Macbeth without looking for the concealed dagger.

Window panels high up downstage allowed some powerful shadow play not least the silhouetted figures of the three witches. A huge table, dramatically lowered from the fly tower, provided a visually thrilling setting for some tense dining moments. I also enjoyed a very convincing sword fight between mad Macbeth and the vengeful Macduff. There was here an attention to fine detail not often seen in student productions.

Gaia Mondadori dominated the stage whenever she was on as Lady Macbeth – she oozed cunning power and maniacal menace in the second half. William Batty also shone as Macbeth bringing out his over-the-edge brittle psyche especially in the famous ‘Tomorrow and Tomorrow’ speech; his haunted face providing a counterpoint to Shakespeare’s breathless poetry.

There were convincing cameos also from Matthew Paul as Macduff; his stuttered words were achingly grief-stricken as he hears of the murder by the eponymous king (his henchmen actually) of his wife and kids. I also enjoyed Ella Burns making the most of the play’s baffling comic scene involving the night porter and loud knocking.

The production values were surprisingly high with a moving and chilling soundscape, the aforementioned shadows and what might have been an imaginative lighting script (it was too hard to see on my MacBook). My only caveat to what was a riveting production was the use of an anachronistic pop song during the final moments of Macbeth’s sorry life – it jarred for no good reason. There was also a highly abrupt ending that looked more like a sudden blackout than a rounded conclusion.

Those final comments aside, this was for the most part a fine reading of the play, well executed, adroitly balanced between action and still reflection. There was also very little false blood. I guess Covid prevented the usual ketchup fest. But this was all to the good. The actors let the words do the talking. With Macbeth, it’s not often one can say that.