It’s a well known superstitious tradition to never say ‘Macbeth’ in a theatre as it is considered bad luck giving it the nickname ‘the Scottish play’. However, despite its alias the play has rarely been given the cultural Scottish context as seen in directors Rebecca Russell and Russ Russell’s Macbeth. Their production is an exploration of the play’s Scottish heritage and seeing it performed in this context was simultaneously refreshing and cathartic.
Gaslamp transported the audience to the Scottish highlands through clever design choices such as characters kitted out in full kilts and the three witches being bundled up in scarfs and anoraks. The setting of the historic church-turned-theatre Cottiers added a certain eeriness, with the exposed stone and high ceilings acting as an apt venue for this particular play. The nods to Scotland made the characters more relatable and hearing the play performed in Scottish accents added sincerity and depth to the dialogue. The use of Scottish Gaelic throughout emboldened the creative vision as folklore and song added an unsettling sense of mysticism.
This retelling of the story captured not only the psychological horror of Macbeth’s thirst for power but used blood and body horror as a visual representation of the sheer brutality of the tragic story. The relationship between Macbeth and Lady Macbeth is presented as physical and violent and Gaslamp’s version shows a sympathetic side to Lady Macbeth as a woman constrained by her circumstances. Frederick Bang as Macbeth and Alex Medland as Lady Macbeth skillfully showed the young couple’s descent into madness and we saw ambition sour to cruelty as the play unravelled.
Giorgio Manzi proved to be an incredibly versatile actor, playing the sensible confidant of Banquo beautifully. However, it was his portrayal of the monstrous and taunting ghost that captured the audience’s attention, squeamishly enjoyable as it was to watch. The infamous banquet scene saw the entire cast and the audience invited to dance a traditional ‘strip the willow’ as part of the festivities; an exciting yet tense moment as Banquo’s blood soaked ghost crashed the party to torment Macbeth. The ceilidh dancing heightened the stakes of the already dramatic scene by making the audience feel part of the story and experience the horror first hand.
This was a thrilling production from start to finish and it was refreshing to see Shakespeare performed in such an accessible and innovative way. The creative team constructed a three dimensional world of the play, allowing the audience to become fully immersed. This immersion was captured in Macbeth’s final monologue as he climbed on top of the once beautifully ornate banquet table and recited the lines ‘Life’s but a walking shadow, a poor player that struts and frets his hour upon the stage’. Gaslamp allowed us to feel the weight of these lines, illuminating the very human struggles at the heart of this play for an hour (or two), live on stage.
Attended 22nd Januatry 2025