Macbeth – Bench Theatre, Spring Arts Centre, Havant (From Daily Echo)

Macbeth – Bench Theatre, Spring Arts Centre, Havant

2:18pm Saturday 17th July 2010 in

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Shakespeare’s “quote-a-minute” tale of vaulting ambition brought low, while producing some stunning moments of creative theatre, was nevertheless a partial victim of its very ambition.

On an evocative windswept set of blasted trees and eerie soundscapes, in an abstract war-torn militia-run country, magic, murder and madness rule the day as the Macbeths kill their way to the crown.

Using the witches as a recurring theme of vengeance was novel, the dead baby of the prologue ultimately becoming Macbeth’s severed head made for a chilling conclusion, and the “dagger scene” was superbly choreographed by dramatic sound and light.

As Lady M, Sarah Parnell was quite mesmerising, by turns sensuous and sinister, encouraging Mark Wakeman’s somewhat simplistic Macbeth to pursue his bloody plans. However, in an inconsistent supporting cast of varying plausibility, David Penrose (Duncan) was a joy to watch, and Alice Corrigan brought laugh-out-loud moments with The Porter’s lewd “knock-knock” jokes.

Ed Howson