Review: MACBETH, Tobacco Factory Theatres

There were more than a few raised eyebrows when the all new Factory Company from Tobacco Factory Theatres announced it's first play would be a Shakespeare.

Having moved the acclaimed Shakespeare at The Tobacco Factory company from their usual Spring slot to accommodate its inaugural season, it seemed strange to then open with a Shakespeare- an area that this theatre seemed to have all sewn up.

Does the move pay off? Yes and no. Yes, because this is a solid opening production and no, because I can't shake the feeling it's a little bit of a safe choice.

Befitting of the theatres past life, it's an industrial setting for this Macbeth. The floor is covered in chopped up rubber tyres that make up a soil of sorts- at once both earthy and synthetic. The lights flicker indeterminably. The various bloodied heads are carried in clear plastic bags, akin to something Luther might find in his boot.

Katy Stephens' Lady Macbeth is a beaming highlight. As she has proved before on the same stage, she handles the text as easily as if it were her own. Her transition from plotting callousness through to paranoid regret is the biggest single reason to go and see this production.

Jonathan McGuiness' Macbeth is a slightly less convincing proposition, particularly in the pivotal dagger scene that sets him on his ultimately fatal path. His Macbeth only really takes flight after he assumes the throne and his finest moment comes when he considers that famous line - "to be thus, is nothing".

For the most part, the other characters come and go with little chance to develop, though Aaron Anthony's Banquo is a pleasant exception. In part, this lack of development time is down to the unusual directness of this tragedy but director Adele Thomas has paired it down even further. The result is not as focused as one might hope.

There is an unevenness that permeates the production. While some scenes hit the pace perfectly, some drag. Transitions too vary from the slick to the ponderous. Even the floor itself is uneven, causing those characters unfortunate enough to be in high heels plenty of wobbles.

It's impossible not to draw comparisons with Shakespeare at the Tobacco Factory when this Macbeth shares the same space, slot and even some of the same actors. It feels like something the theatre already had. What that doesn't do, is take away from the fact this a sound opening production.

It is early days in the life of the Factory Company, and I have no doubt the company will find it's identity and become a welcome fixture of the theatre season.

Macbeth at Tobacco Factory Theatres until 7 April

Photo credit: Mark Dawson

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