Writer: William Shakespeare
Directors: Amy Gavin and Hannah Ellis Ryan
This is Shakespeare with a difference in the sense that it has an all female and non binary cast and that it offers a slightly different slant on proceedings. The fact that it is presented in this way isn’t any different, actually, from Shakespeare’s time as women were not allowed to act and all the female parts would have been played by men. All this production by Unseemly Women does is turn that premise on it’s head, so you could argue that it is actually closer in spirit to the original than most other productions. It is a version of the Scottish play that gets you thinking and it does tell the story as most Shakespeare lovers know it, albeit with some extra dialogue that certainly wasn’t written by the Bard.
It is a very atmospheric production throughout, with low lighting, constant dry ice swirling around, eerie drum beats, and actors often appearing from the auditorium itself which has the effect of immersing the audience in the action. Sometimes you weren’t sure from which direction a scream or a cough could be heard and the Porter’s entrance (an excellent performance by Miranda Parker) when she mingled with audience members was effectively done. The stage itself is virtually bare apart from a central bath-like structure which can serve a multitude of uses and the stage therefore allows plenty of space for movement for the battle scenes particularly.
The bath is not only centre stage physically but central to the opening scene when – and this is just one of the departures from the original that this production contains – we see Lady Macbeth give birth to a stillborn baby and perhaps offers a clue to her state of mind later on. It certainly gives credence to her telling her husband that “she has known what it is like to suckle the child that milks me.” In this instance the bath is an actual birthing bath but it can double up as a cauldron around which the three witches gather along with Hecate (also Miranda Parker) their queen. In the original play Hecate only appears briefly in two scenes but here she is more prominent. The three witches are all excellent (Paryce Richards, Pavanveer Sagoo and Zoey Barnes) with their shaky movements (a bit reminiscent of the Walking Dead), synchronised breathing and menacing modulation. Elaine McNicol is strong as Macbeth with clear diction throughout in a wonderful Scottish accent that lends the whole thing an air of authenticity. Her delivery of all the key speeches brings out the poetry in Shakespeare’s writing and reminds us – as if we didn’t already know it – just what a genius he was. Frankie Lipman as Lady Macbeth is also impressive as the scheming catalyst of the pair, all decisiveness and proactive in the first instance which makes her subsequent mental breakdown all the more poignant.
These central performances are unfortunately not matched by some of the rest of the cast who were not always clear in their delivery and some key dialogue was missed. This is a shame and detracted somewhat from the overall effect. Ciara Tansy, however, as Macduff did give a strong performance and is convincing as the hero who brings Macbeth to his ultimate fate. It is just a pity that she couldn’t have been given a more convincing decapitated head (wrapped in a cloth) at the end that would have been heavier than what appeared to be no more than a lightweight balloon.
This is a brave and ambitious attempt at bringing something new to a standard classic in the Shakespearean canon and should be applauded for that. It has its merits and is only occasionally let down by some under par performances.
Runs until 3rd July 2025
