July 12, 2011
Macbeth, presented by the Oxford Theatre Guild in Trinity College Gardens, was a solid performance of a Shakespeare classic.
The presentation was very traditional - “proper Shakespeare”, with swords and crowns and robes - and was mainly executed well. Performances were good throughout, especially from Peter Malin, who was clear and engaging as Macbeth. Sam Knipe as Lady Macbeth was also excellent. Both actors clearly had great affection for the text, the intonation of lines was thoughtful and confident. I also loved the scene in which the Macduff family are murdered - the gentle performances from Cate Field and Daniel Taylor offered a lovely counterpoint to the shoutier action and were genuinely moving. The end of the scene, though, like much of the play, was let down by slightly cheesy staging.
The witches were a prime example of this. They were presented as influencing the action throughout the play - so there were a crowd of witches, not just three, and they would stand in for servants in the court, and guests at the feast. I like the idea, but I felt it was slightly hesitantly executed. It would have more clearly shown them as a constant threat if at least one of them was always on stage, or perhaps in a tree - especially in the earlier part of the play, having someone in a witch cape, not doing anything witchy, in one in five scenes, is confusing.
Throughout, the outdoor setting felt underused. I have nothing at all against outdoor or site specific theatre, but Oxford has a bizarre culture of summer Shakespeare shows being outside by default. Aside from being a selling point though, I was struggling to see what the setting really added to this production. Even the most obvious moment, when Birnam Wood comes to Dunsinane, was staged as though we were in a normal theatre - so why be in an actual wood?
Overall I enjoyed the show, and felt it was a competent, nicely done bit Shakespeare. However, the traditional style, while absolutely appropriate in the performances, led to a slightly staid staging. The cast were great, and working very hard, but it was just a decent show. With a bit more exploration of the possibilities of staging and setting I felt like it could have been really amazing.
The presentation was very traditional - “proper Shakespeare”, with swords and crowns and robes - and was mainly executed well. Performances were good throughout, especially from Peter Malin, who was clear and engaging as Macbeth. Sam Knipe as Lady Macbeth was also excellent. Both actors clearly had great affection for the text, the intonation of lines was thoughtful and confident. I also loved the scene in which the Macduff family are murdered - the gentle performances from Cate Field and Daniel Taylor offered a lovely counterpoint to the shoutier action and were genuinely moving. The end of the scene, though, like much of the play, was let down by slightly cheesy staging.
The witches were a prime example of this. They were presented as influencing the action throughout the play - so there were a crowd of witches, not just three, and they would stand in for servants in the court, and guests at the feast. I like the idea, but I felt it was slightly hesitantly executed. It would have more clearly shown them as a constant threat if at least one of them was always on stage, or perhaps in a tree - especially in the earlier part of the play, having someone in a witch cape, not doing anything witchy, in one in five scenes, is confusing.
Throughout, the outdoor setting felt underused. I have nothing at all against outdoor or site specific theatre, but Oxford has a bizarre culture of summer Shakespeare shows being outside by default. Aside from being a selling point though, I was struggling to see what the setting really added to this production. Even the most obvious moment, when Birnam Wood comes to Dunsinane, was staged as though we were in a normal theatre - so why be in an actual wood?
Overall I enjoyed the show, and felt it was a competent, nicely done bit Shakespeare. However, the traditional style, while absolutely appropriate in the performances, led to a slightly staid staging. The cast were great, and working very hard, but it was just a decent show. With a bit more exploration of the possibilities of staging and setting I felt like it could have been really amazing.