Flabbergast Theatre’s production of Macbeth makes an immediate statement about the kind of production it is. On entering the auditorium, the audience is presented with the cast, clad in voluminous white skirts apparently made from dirty bed linen, caterwauling, shrieking and dancing maniacally round the mostly-bare stage. It evokes a Victorian asylum, and what follows may indeed be described as bedlam – in both good ways and bad.
First, the good. If you’re willing to leave your preconceptions about Shakespeare at the door and go along with the company’s approach to theatre, there is much to admire here. The movement work of the cast is committed, extraordinary and exhausting, as for two hours they contort themselves over and over in a raw presentation of the dark and violent themes of the play. While it’s mostly frenetic, there are moments of haunting, dark beauty – most particularly Banquo’s death, where his body appears to be pinioned and suspended by javelins wielded by the rest of the cast.
The use of sound is equally inventive and visceral, especially the raucous drum sequences preceding the appearances of the wyrd sisters, superbly evoking the wildness of the famous blasted heath. Those filthy-looking costumes are also effective, with the heavy skirts used alternately to comic and dramatic effect and adding to an overall sense of other-worldliness.
The witches play a more central role than usual, emerging at unexpected moments to mock the protagonists and seemingly possessing other individuals. It’s an intriguing device that for the most part works, and invites reflection on whether the madness afflicting the Macbeths simply reflects the madness in their world.
Also worth highlighting is Henry Maynard’s performance in the lead role. An imposing figure with a deep, powerful voice, Maynard is an effortlessly charismatic stage presence, in whose hands Macbeth’s descent from confident leader of men to grovelling lunacy is utterly convincing. Some of the production’s best moments are when it trusts Maynard and Shakespeare’s words to convey the play’s horrors with minimal artifice.
And here is the main problem with this production: in its focus on the physical and abstract sound, it too often forgets the importance of Shakespeare’s text. Speeches are delivered over the backdrop of a chorus of muttering and laughing that all but drown out the speaker. Some of the actors – most notably Briony O’Callaghan as Lady Macbeth – have a strong physical presence but a tendency to rush through their dialogue that often renders it incomprehensible. Many employ highly affected speech patterns, whooping crazily around their vocal ranges. This might have been effective if more selectively applied, but when it’s not obvious why this choice has been made for a particular character – particularly Daniel Chrisostomou’s Duncan – it becomes simply irritating.
The percussive noise that is so effective at establishing a sense of place is also overused, almost to the point of obnoxiousness. We find ourselves craving the rare moments of stillness that allow the text to be heard – and when they happen, waiting with trepidation for the cacophony to begin again.
In the company’s defence, it makes no secret that its primary concern is not with the actual text – the programme states that its intention is ‘to delve deep into the meaning behind Shakespeare’s words and uncover what lies beneath the surface’. The problem is that this isn’t a ballet – the words are still there, they still matter and the audience needs to hear them. Too often, the performers’ efforts distract from Shakespeare’s words rather than enhancing them.
Macbeth is the first narrative text that the company has developed, having previously focused on original works in clowning, puppetry and immersive theatre – and it shows. While it’s refreshing to see familiar material presented in such an innovative fashion, Flabbergast have yet to find the ideal marriage between their repertoire and more traditional theatre – or to understand that sometimes, less is more. If future productions can tread this line more deftly, there is the potential here to be quite extraordinary – but in the case of this Macbeth, all the sound and fury eventually becomes something to be endured more than enjoyed.
The Tragedy of Macbeth is showing at the Nottingham Playhouse until 10 June.
