Macbeth Bridge

Great stuff. Can’t imagine what shenanigans they will go for: diversity, cross gender casting, proper Scottish, no Scottish? Yummy prospect.

An exciting prospect, especially if directed by Hytner. I wonder who he'd cast as Macbeth - which of those actors he's known for working with is ready for the role? I've got tickets for John Gabriel Borkman on my kitchen board (and have had since autumn 2019...); I wonder if that will go ahead. They had a whole load of other big plans for last year... I wonder if they have been abandoned or put on hold.

Another Macbeth, how boring. Would expect more from the Bridge....

The Bridge is a commercial venture with no ACE subsidy at all. We should just be grateful if they manage to open again at all. Macbeth is a GCSE set text, it makes perfect sense for them to stage it. 

I liked the RSC one. The NT one was very badly directed, the whole concept sunk it before it even started, a pity as it was strongly cast. One thing working against the Bridge is the size of the theatre, the only good productions I’ve seen of it have been in small studio theatres.

The Doran RSC one was good. He had this idea of starting with the auditorium (Swan) in total darkness and having the witches speech coming from centre stage as if they were standing there, but in reality it would be from three small speakers that they’d fly out over the audience in the darkness as the scene went on. But he decided not to do it as he thought it would scare the audience. That’s Doran all over, Mr Conservative (small C).

London doesn't get many tourists at all from the red list countries which have to quarantine. Based on the fact the NT pretty much sold out in London and on tour with their rubbish production I'd say it was very popular. 

My real fear is that Simon Russell-Beale is on record saying he wants to play Macbeth again (after his less than stellar work in the Almeida production) so he might be cast. That would ensure it both sells out *and* is artistically compromised. Patrick Stewart played it when he was 67 so there's no age barrier. 

Off the top of my head - in relatively recent years James McAvoy, Rufus Sewell, Geoffrey Streatfeild, Elliot Cowan and John Heffernan were, I think, in their early/mid-30s when they played the part. Ian McKellan was in his late-30s when he played the part in the famous Trevor Nunn production (which sadly I was too young to see on stage).

It's a surprisingly hard play to do well. In 30 years of theatre-going I've only seen one outstanding one (the Doran, Sher, Walters one at the RSC) and one very good one (Goold, Stewart, Fleetwood). Some usually reliable names have come a cropper (Noble, Jacobi; Eyre, Howard; Caird, SRB; Tobacco Factory). Whereas I've loved 9 of the 10 Lears and 14 of the 17 Hamlets I've seen.

Of actors I like I'd be keen to see Michael Sheen do it.

I would love to give Macbeth another go, particularly at the Bridge, which I love. I've only seen it twice before and didn't really get on with it. Once at the Young Vic where I don't remember the witches speaking, just performing interpretive dance and members of the audience were pushing their way through rows the width of the entire theatre to leave as there wasn't an internal, and also the 2018 NT version which I also remember as being a particularly painful experience. I would be interested to see if I just need to see a different version or it isn't a play for me.

I was trying to remember the various Macbeths I have seen, and unfortunately the bad ones or gimmicks stand out. It's never been a favourite play for me.

The NT version - a mess, looking online I'd completely forgotten it was Anne Marie Duff and Rory Kinnear. All I could remember was the huge ramp and black dustbin bag set.

The RSC version with Christopher Eccleston and Niamh Cussack - quite good with the three girls as the witches (like something out the Shining) and clock ticking down to death (except it had to be reset as it certainly wasn't "real" time).

James McAvoy probably the most "committed" performance - very bloody, loud and physical. Excellent from him despite the usual Jamie Lloyd distractions (flashing lights, electrical sizzling), but Claire Foy completely overwhelmed in a timid/nervous performance

Young Vic Carrie Cracknell - not much impact. Weird dancing, loud music and blackouts. More a summary of the play.

SRB at Almeida - I had no recollection of this whatsoever (and I definitely saw it), but see that it was in 2005 almeida.co.uk/whats-on/macbeth/13-jan-2005-5-mar-2005. I then saw the Stephen Dillane one man reimagining almeida.co.uk/whats-on/stephen-dillane-s-macbeth/26-oct-2005-5-nov-2010 - these were mostly voices in his head, about half of the performance was in French and I didn't have a clue what was going on. Memorable for being one of the most bizarre nights at the theatre.

So, the Bridge one is probably worth a try for me...

Absolutely fantastic and by far the best Macbeth I have ever seen. Danny Sapani and Monica Dolan were outstanding (can't wait to see him in the Almeida's Hymn next week). Yes, the banquet scene was terrifying, and being charged 10p to look at the bodies of Macduff's family was also a deeply chilling moment. Superb.

Funny enough, as much as the dustbin/post-apocalyptic design was bad in the NT's Macbeth, I found the whole production more consistent than the RSC production. I got thar world Rufus Norris was trying to convey and he stuck to it.

Lucy Bailey is all ideas, such as the Shining witches, but can't bring them together into one vision. The one take away I could take away was the cyclic nature of violence with the ticking clock but otherwise it was just there with no big impact other than dragging the production. Christopher Eccleston struggled with the text and Edward Bennett was miscast as Macduff.

Regarding the play I have little empathy for the main characters, which isn't the point of play but after the witches go it slows down whilst I wait for the Macbeths to die. Only the Malcolm scene elevates the remaining acts.

Which is why the Ninagawa production is my favourite Macbeth because it is the only production that made me feel for the Macbeths' plight. The other Macbeths I liked were the Jonathan Slinger production and a physical/dance adaptation by the Mark Bruce company. Very atmospheric those two.

There was no real reason I chose not to see this - useful to be periodically reminded of what I missed to make me more diligent in future. I did see “Summerfolk” though.