An ambitious and successful production, if a slightly problematic interpretation. Creation Theatre’s latest venture reimagines Shakespeare’s Macbeth in the setting of a military sanatorium, acted out in the gardens of Lady Margaret Hall. The experimental use of the setting was certainly one of the highlights: Macbeth, Lady Macbeth et al bounded manically in and out of the surrounding building, shouting out from various windows and bellowing down from the roof observatory. The audience were seated around round tables, much like being at a sinister wedding-cum-massacre, which the cast often marched through, hiding in the shadows and creating that increasing feeling of insecurity which so fits with Macbeth.

The ‘weird sisters’ were effectively disposed of, in their place were women with cloths covering their faces and men wearing gas masks. This worked well with the updating of the play into a war-time England, but I felt that the medieval plot itself could never quite fully be reconciled with the setting of a hospital full of wounded, shell-shocked soldiers. This was in part rectified in the second half, in which the hospital setting became a lot clearer and more interesting. In the end, I decided the interpretation worked well when viewing each character individually as a soldier obsessed with the war going on around him and the tyranny and murder dictating the world.

The first half ended with Banquo’s murder, a wonderful scene which really was a taste of better things to come. The playing out of murders and violence was a real highlight – the characters stood about two metres apart enacting the infliction and reaction, never actually touching each other - a technique that was far more effective and harrowing. The encroaching darkness undoubtedly highlighted the creepy horror story effect that the production was striving for and the actors really came into their own in the second half – well worth waiting for!

Although Lady Macbeth wasn’t the best portrayal I’ve seen, the sexual tension between her and Macbeth (Scott Ainslie) was amped up to perfection – there was real chemistry between the actors. The cast was small, which meant a lot of doubling up – quite a difficult feat in a play with such a large cast. However, it did work for the most part, thanks to the diverse skills of the actors – Simon Spencer-Hyde was particularly good in his transition from Banquo to Macduff, the shift was flawless to the point that I wasn’t immediately aware it was the same actor.

All in all, the interpretation needed a lot of thinking about in order to get to grips with it. I wanted it to be a more dramatic reworking, either in making itself more obvious through props and direction, or, preferably, through cutting certain scenes and speeches which became somewhat obsolete within the new context. That said, the production and acting talent made for a thoroughly enjoyable evening. The effort in preparation and dramatic design cannot be faulted. The use of location, props and sound was perfectly balanced with the necessity for audience imagination – an eerie and memorable evening for children and adults alike.