The Tragedy of Macbeth: poignant Shakespeare at his best [ALMEIDA THEATRE]

An exquisite production, which is directed by Yaël Farber and staged in Almeida Theatre, is a nearly cinematic experience. It not only makes use of Saoirse's Ronan skillfulness (who plays Lady Macbeth here) but also manages to tastefully combine different aesthetics with an excellent audiovisual background. You should have been there, but you still have a chance to watch it online!

Words by Jan Tracz

Nothing was changed in the play’s plot, so The Tragedy of Macbeth got its storytelling rooted in the classical composition of the Shakespearean drama. Along with the drama’s classicism, we also gain something fresh: the new esthetics. This Macbeth takes place in some kind of modern military reality which also draws from the noir aesthetics (some scenes look like from the 1920s!) Lightning and elegantly played live music only strengthen this “cinematic” undertone and are attractive invitations to stay in Almeida for another three hours.

What appears representative of Farber’s theatre is, first of all, the play’s cast. James McArdle is, literally, a maniac version of Macbeth: his delirious expressiveness is one of the pillars of the whole show. Even if, in the beginning, his Macbeth tries to emphasize the distorted feeling of guilt over the concealed ego, one can quickly have a gut feeling that there is probably no difference between his and Lady Macbeth’s insensibility. And one is, later, right about that.

Image: Marc Brenner

When it comes to Lady Macbeth, Saoirse Ronan proves why she is currently a leading actress in Hollywood. I find her interpretation of LM alluring, as she purposely makes herself a victim of the whole murder turmoil. Her grief is believable, though it is only a creation of her deception. When she can no longer stand the inner feeling of her sins, she blames Macbeth, which only worsens his mental situation. It sounds like cliché, but they, as a marriage, love each other to the death (like, literally), and descent to hell (once again, together).

Almeida’s oval surface allows the play’s director to create an open-world scene where the experience will be slightly different from every corner. Every character takes his personalized position, and every actor comes and goes from various places hidden all over the scene. For example, if you sit somewhere in the stalls, you might see Ronan approaching from the left. What is more, no walls are delineating the indoor scenery; the specialized glasses set the rooms, so we still can see the actors. We voyeur from the beginning till the end; Faber allows us to be aware of everything happening in the play. Even if this pleasure is delusional, we feel like participating in the play as the actors are all around us.

Another resembling facet of The Tragedy of Macbeth (that only establishes the play’s fineness) is how Farber is using the scenery to capture the hallucinatory atmosphere from the second part of Shakespeare’s Macbeth. For instance, the main floor starts to be filled with water, which can be easily connoted to the neglect (or should I say downfall?) of Macbeth’s castle. The majestic scenery mirrors a post-apocalyptic world where a neo-noir elegance is only an echo of some forgotten past. A thick smoke, burning fire, a small flood… these are the only things left there (and they are palpable, too!).

Image: Marc Brenner

Before the overall conclusion, it is essential to say that Yaël Farber did something similar to David Lean several dozen years ago when he directed Great Expectations. This peculiar oldie from 1946 is probably one of the best literature adaptions ever made. Why? Because it skillfully reflects our reading imagination like 1:1. Everything we “see” in our heads has its place in this film, and the same case is with The Tragedy of Macbeth. When I was in Almeida Theatre I felt like reading Macbeth for the first time five years ago. And that was something.

Shakespeare in this edition is painful, yet merciless, at times sorrowful, but, in the end, naturalistic. Maybe even raucous (thanks to the actors’ brutal eloquence)? Ultimately, Farber’s artfulness and the actors’ sombre expressions are a compelling combination, one that will stay with the spectators for longer. Perhaps, the play might be even a focal point in the discussion about theatre’s hegemony over the cinema. Time will tell. Regardless of the taste, it is an event worth experiencing. Three Macbethian witches ask at the end: “When shall we three meet again?” And I answer: “When the newly begotten violence appears again”. I want this violence to happen, I want to be entertained once more. Here, in Almeida Theatre.