Writer: Gerry Linford
Director: Paul Goetzee
After being postponed due to Covid, brand new comedy Macca & Beth is finally being staged throughout May at Liverpool’s Royal Court Theatre. Macca & Beth tells the story of a young couple from Liverpool who take a trip to Scotland for the reading of Macca’s late uncle’s will. Beth (Emma Bispham) isn’t happy as she was expecting a summer holiday, but is instead stuck in a blizzard, in the Scottish highlands, in the middle of July.
The play opens with Macca (Danny O’Brien) and Beth arriving at eccentric Uncle Dougal’s home. The place looks run down and Beth is far from happy to be staying there. The set is great and there is a lot of attention to detail with all not being as it seems – there are hidden passageways and later in the play the set itself really comes alive!
It is evident from the start of the play that Macca really loves Beth and all he wants is to make her happy. O’Brien and Bispham have great chemistry on stage and are very much what you would expect from a scouse couple. They bicker and annoy each other, but are very much in love.
While waiting for the will to be read Macca and Beth meet some really odd characters who fit in well with the style of the house. First we meet Miss Glass (Karen Young), the solicitor who is dealing with Dougal’s affairs and will be reading the will. She appears from nowhere and seems quite odd. She also plays the violin which adds to her eeriness at first, but we later discover that there was method in her madness for learning to play the instrument. Young gives a solid performance and plays the part well.
We also meet married Scottish couple Morag (Andrea Miller), who likes a drink and has premonitions of the future, and Angus (Gordon Kane), who is a bit of a loose cannon with a gun, but likes to see himself as a protector. These two characters create some funny moments, but at times their scenes seem to go on a bit too long.
Outlaw Barry the Hatchet (Jamie Smelt) and prison officer Crompton (Jerome Ngonadi) make up the rest of the cast. Again they provide some funny moments and add to the twists of the story, but they are not as memorable as the others.
One of the big highlights of the show is when Bispham breaks out in to song. She has a sensational voice and it is a nice added bonus to the play.
Family is very much at the heart of the play and we see a lovely moment between Bispham and O’Brien when Beth tells Macca that he won’t be the last of the Macmaccamacs. There is a comedy Benny Hill style ending to the show and overall it gets a great reaction from the audience.
It won’t have you doing the highland fling as you leave, but it’s definitely worth a watch!
Runs until 28th May 2022
The Reviews Hub Score
Worth a watch
