News
Tragedy of Macbeth
Tragedy of Macbeth
Assembly Roxy, 12:00, 04 - 29 AUG
by Gareth K Vile
Although The Tragedy of Macbeth comes from Flabbergast, the company who created the legendary vaudevillians Boris and Sergei, there is limited puppetry in this physical and visual adaptation of Shakespeare’s Scottish play. Indeed, the puppets are demoted to their familiar role as children, lending pathos to their murder and murmurs of delight from the audience. Yet Flabbergast are a restless company, driven by Henry Maynard’s eclectic imagination and their strong visual dramaturgy provides the highlights of this fast-paced, uneven but impressive ninety minutes.
Ironically, the weaknesses lie with the text: the self-consciously overwrought performances sometimes descend into caricature and the precise movement is not always matched by the actors’ delivery of the lines. Turning the Porter scene into a clown act is inspired, the ferocious drumming, the battle scenes, even Macbeth’s hallucinations are dynamic and visually powerful: the soliloquies are less moving.
While the company are clearing influenced by Polish approaches to Shakespeare – in particular Song of the Goat’s use of music and movement – their particular rough-hewn scenography and costumes imagine a Macbeth in a grimy world of deceit and treachery. The noise and the speed emphasise the violence of the plot, and the sense of a country falling apart: the ensemble execute some stunning choreography and the musical interludes are sombre and contrast with the full-bloodied action. As Flabbergast’s first attempt at a more text-focussed work, it showcases the company’s solid grasp of physical theatre and their vision of a dramaturgy that is forceful and forthright.
