Review: MACBETH (AN UNDOING), Rose Theatre

A production that promises to be a "fresh take" on one of Shakepeare's most famous plays is apt to produce a weary sigh. After previously playing at Edinburgh's Royal Lyceum last February, Zinnie Harris now brings her promising yet unfocused version of the Scottish play to the Rose Theatre. It is certainly fresh, yet misses some of its potential.

Harris’ work has often adapted well-known pieces to bring women to the fore. Her Macbeth (An Undoing) shifts the narrative to the power and drive of Lady Macbeth. Macbeth is the one who mentally disintegrates in the aftermath of the murder, increasingly absent from his kingly duties and allowing the power vacuum to be filled by his queen. As his madness increases, her focus becomes sharper.

Nicole Cooper, a deserved nominee in last year’s Critics’ Awards for Theatre in Scotland for this role, is laser-focused in her quest for power as Lady Macbeth. Her vision is clear, in stark contrast to the increasingly unhinged delusions delivered upon her husband. Cooper is impressive, particularly as she tries to find order as she takes over the pile of regal paperwork and make an increasing number of excuses for her husband’s absence.

Gender roles are challenged and subverted; Copper is overtly haunted by her childlessness, yet other characters begin to refer to her as the King, as though her power and influence is inevitably masculine.

Women are key to driving the narrative. Lady Macduff (an excellent Emmanuella Cole) becomes a much more prominent role. Now a cousin to Lady Macbeth, the pair confide in each other about their husbands and complain about childbirth. Liz Kettle is a standout as Carlin; a witch, servant and audience confidante, she shape-shifts and carries much of the show’s structure in a subtle manner.  

Adam Best’s Macbeth is more a supporting role in this production, with Best doing what he can with a now rather one-dimensional character. One highlight is the hand-washing scene where he twitches, scratches and scrubs at his hands, wide-eyed and vacant.

Much of the impact comes from the combination of Tom Piper’s dark and depthless set and Lizzie Powell’s stark lighting, which bounces off the many reflective surfaces, creating illusions and shadows everywhere. Pippa Murphy also delivers a suitably unsettling soundscape, full of echoing knocking and unearthly rumblings.

Often surprisingly witty, it often feels and sounds as though Harris bows to Shakespeare when needed, with his language shining through, melding with her modern vernacular in a natural manner. However, the play is let down by a meandering focus; lacking sharpness, it is left unclear whether Lady Macbeth is a victim, a villain or both. I would have welcomed more of the characters issuing instructions to the stagehands, breaking the fourth wall and the whole production could also lose at least half an hour without any detriment to its impact.

Macbeth (An Undoing) is at the Rose Theatre until 23 March

Photo Credits: Ellie Kurttz

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