BWW Reviews: MACBETH, Regent's Park Open Air Theatre, July 11 2010

Macbeth is this year's summer offering for families from the Open Air Theatre in Regent's Park following on from success with A Midsummer Night's Dream in 2008 and last year's The Tempest.

The stage is set with a school boy Malcolm, Harry McEntire, suitably dressed in a school blazer and it is through him that we are introduced to the story. The play was cleverly cut down and there were some nice touches of audience interaction to adjust the play to a family audience, however, the themes of jealousy and lust were difficult to bring to bear and the show left many of its youngest audience members perplexed as to what was going on.

The design is the star of the show and it is incredibly inventive, featuring large plain white paper sheets stretched to cover the back of the playing area and a bubbling swamp centre stage. Throughout the show, the cast use spray paint to graffiti the backdrop with information about the plot, including names of characters and the witches' predictions.

Another delightful feature was the incorporation of swan puppets, which, when swung through 180 degrees, became the Weird sisters. Played at different points by various members of the cast, their scenes, featuring songs derived from their original incantations, were fun and enjoyable.

The cast used the space physically very well, maximising the entrances and exits. Vocally, however, the size and openness of the venue seemed to present them with problems. Although they all had radio mics, the rich dynamics of the text seemed to be lost and some of the great soliloquies sounded quite ordinary.

The climax featured some swashbuckling sword play and a clever means of encouraging Birnam wood to move toward Dunsinane Hill. Nevertheless, whilst this production would likely enthral mid to late teenagers or even older audiences as an introduction to Shakespeare, this was certainly not a production suitable for those as young as six, and you have to question the decision to market the show as appropriate for this age range.

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