Macbeth at Theatre on Kew
The Australian Shakespeare Company graces Kew’s Royal Botanical Gardens with a haunting rendition of Shakespeare’s Macbeth under the stars.
Act one instantly sets the scene for a unique experience. Framed by the setting of a summer’s day, the sun peeking through Kew’s heritage trees, the three witches stumble out of the foliage, made even more “wither’d and wild” by their setting. The Weird Sisters’ performance stood out, conjoined in their freakishness, with excellent costume design by Karla Erenbots; they were a picture of the reviled Jacobean creatures of darkness and despair.
The critically acclaimed production by Glenn Elston, fresh from a sold-out Melbourne season, lived up to its high appraisals. It had all the classic elements: a taunting and seductive Lady Macbeth and her haunted man, plagued by his hamartia; humour of the classic Shakespearean kind – a drunken warden providing light relief with sexual innuendos and crowd-pleasing charisma – and most novelly, a performance that starts in daylight in a space open to the elements.
The lighting, sound, effects and staging were built around this and complemented by the low-flying planes and bird calls that seamlessly enhanced the gothic and mystical atmosphere.
However, the details of Elston’s modern interpretation were not easily missed. Malcom, the rightful heir to the Scottish throne, classically portraying order and legitimacy in contrast to Macbeth’s tyranny, was played by a badass blonde, Anna Burgess. Similarly, in an act two hallucination of Macbeth’s, the witches abandon their supernatural, “bearded” guise and transform into three angelic, celestial-dressed beings who twirl Macbeth around and blow him away with kisses.
Macbeth and Lady Macbeth were a perfectly cast duo. Nicole Nabout has that natural stage presence only known to some, and her on-stage chemistry with Sexton was captivating. The pair flew from euphoria to madness, sexual tension and hysteria together seamlessly.
Split into two acts, the energy and momentum amplified in the second half with the lighting, sound and effects coming into full expression as twilight fell. A mystified and purple-hued stage saw the witches double toil and trouble over a bubbling cauldron, whilst the full cast was employed to deliver a vivid and immersive performance of Macbeth’s unravelling. The stage was transformed into a sensory spectacle with movement and music vital in creating the spiralling violence of the play’s climax. Jackson McGovern as Macduff shone in this latter half.
Despite the odd dodgy accent, the Australian Shakespeare Company put on a striking adaptation with its bold staging and magnetic performances. As night fell over Kew and Macbeth met his bloody fate, the cast left ghostly ambition, madness and murder to linger in the summer air.
Lara Hedge
Photos: Ben Fon
Macbeth is at Theatre on Kew from 18th July until 31st August 2025. For further information or to book, visit the theatre’s website here.
Watch the trailer for Macbeth at Theatre on Kew here:
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