The Upcoming
  • Cinema & Tv
    • Movie reviews
    • Show reviews
    • Interviews
    • Film festivals
      • Berlin
      • Cannes
      • Sundance London
      • Venice
      • London
  • Music
    • Live music
    • Album reviews
    • Interviews
  • Food & Drinks
    • News & Features
    • Restaurant & bar reviews
    • Interviews & Recipes
  • Theatre
    • Fringe
    • Vault Festival
    • Interviews
  • Art
  • Travel & Lifestyle
  • Interviews
  • Fashion & Beauty
    • Accessories
    • Beauty
    • News & Features
    • Shopping & Trends
    • Tips & How-tos
    • Fashion weeks
      • London Fashion Week
      • London Fashion Week Men’s
      • New York Fashion Week
      • Milan Fashion Week
      • Paris Fashion Week
      • Haute Couture
  • Join the team
    • Editorial unit
    • Our writers
    • Join the team
    • Join the mailing list
    • Support us
    • Contact us
  • Competitions
  • Facebook

  • Twitter

  • Instagram

  • YouTube

  • RSS

Culture Theatre

Macbeth at Shakespeare’s Globe online

Macbeth at Shakespeare’s Globe online | Theatre review
13th May 2020
Avatar photo
Sophia Moss
Avatar
Sophia Moss
13 May 2020

Theatre review

Sophia Moss

Macbeth

★★★★★

Dates

From 11th May 2020

Price

Free

You wouldn’t think a show designed for secondary school students would start with a pile of dead bodies, but this Deutsche Bank adaption of Macbeth doesn’t sanitise Shakespeare’s gruesome story. It succeeds in making Macbeth accessible to a younger audience without dumbing it down.

The set design is full of little details which bring some needed comic relief to the show. Balloons which spell “congrats” upon Macbeth’s new title soon just spell out “rats” during the murder scene, while later, little posters of Macbeth’s face with “Tyrant” written across it show the shift in public opinion. The witches’ masters are creepy horror movie dolls – one found in the belly of a pig. Lady Macbeth’s baby-blue jumpsuit, King Duncan’s cream coat and Macbeth’s trainers aren’t exactly medieval, but they are able to give us a sense of the characters without going overboard.

Audience participation adds further comedy to an otherwise stark, bloody tale. A highlight is during the banquet scene, when a hysterical Macbeth breaks the fourth wall and asks the crowd what they think of his trainers, which is a good way to make the audience feel like they’re part of the show. The actors give strong, if not groundbreaking, performances. Aidan Cheng stands out as Malcom and the three witches combine animalistic movement with dastardly words in a nicely sinister performance. Ekow Quartey (Macbeth) and Elly Condron (Lady Macbeth) could be criticised for not giving their characters enough depth at the start of the play, but both show more emotional range as the story develops.

Macbeth explores greed, how power corrupts, guilt, fate and witchcraft, but it’s also about unity between England and Scotland. In this abridged performance, Scotland and England fight together to defeat a tyrant – Macbeth – and then become unified under one flag (the union jack). This invokes the recent debate around Scottish independence and helps students identify the context of Macbeth.

This show is designed for secondary school students, but it can be enjoyed by anyone who wants to develop their understanding of Shakespeare without devoting three hours to it. Deutcshe Bank’s Macbeth keeps all the gore and horror – and actually amps it up in some respects – but also leaves you with a (literal) song and dance, so that you turn off your screen feeling strangely light.

★★★★★

Sophia Moss
Photo: Ellie Kurttz

Macbeth is available to stream on the Shakespeare’s Globe YouTube channel from 11th May 2020 until schools reopen. For further information visit the theatre’s website here.

Related Itemsreview

More in Theatre

The House of Bernarda Alba at the National Theatre

★★★★★
Constance A
Read More

A Christmas Carol at the Old Vic

★★★★★
Sarah Bradbury
Read More

Feeling Afraid As If Something Terrible Is Going to Happen at Bush Theatre

★★★★★
Jonathan Marshall
Read More

Wishmas

★★★★★
Selina Begum
Read More

Thank You for the Music at Adelphi Theatre

★★★★★
Michael Higgs
Read More

The Mongol Khan at the London Coliseum

★★★★★
Will Snell
Read More

“It honours the spirit and qualities of the film, but the stage show has its own energy and aesthetic”: Ami Okumura Jones on My Neighbour Totoro at Barbican Theatre

Cristiana Ferrauti
Read More

Flip! at Soho Theatre

★★★★★
Madison Sotos
Read More

Radio GaGa at Adelphi Theatre

★★★★★
Michael Higgs
Read More
Scroll for more
Tap

Theatre review

Sophia Moss

Macbeth

★★★★★

Dates

From 11th May 2020

Price

Free

  • Popular

  • Latest

  • TOP PICKS

  • The House of Bernarda Alba at the National Theatre
    ★★★★★
    Theatre
  • Eileen
    ★★★★★
    Movie review
  • The House of Bernarda Alba at the National Theatre
    ★★★★★
    Theatre
  • Eileen
    ★★★★★
    Movie review
  • Wish
    ★★★★★
    Movie review
  • Girl
    ★★★★★
    Movie review
  • A Christmas Carol at the Old Vic
    ★★★★★
    Theatre
  • The House of Bernarda Alba at the National Theatre
    ★★★★★
    Theatre
  • Wish
    ★★★★★
    Movie review
  • A Christmas Carol at the Old Vic
    ★★★★★
    Theatre
  • Feeling Afraid As If Something Terrible Is Going to Happen at Bush Theatre
    ★★★★★
    Theatre
  • Girl
    ★★★★★
    Movie review
The Upcoming
  • Contact us
  • Join the team
  • Subscribe to the mailing list
  • Support us
  • Writing for The Upcoming

Copyright © 2011-2023 FL Media