“…The staging of this production is spare, and wonderfully so. An empty stage with a vibrant backdrop of lights, paintings, and curtains changes each scene smoothly and with minimum clutter of props. At the front of the stage sits Hanif Khan, a musician who, with a series of hand-drums and other small instruments, conveys the tone and emotion of the play marvellously.”
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“…Niamh Cusack literally and metaphorically rolls her sleeves up as the embodiment of long-suffering Irish womanhood in a role which comfortably extends her range well beyond that with which her TV audience will be familiar. Her final cri de coeur as a bereaved mother is one that has sadly echoed down the ages, but for all that retains its power to move.”
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“Throughout, this slick standout NT ensemble relentlessly engages the laughter button with risqué one-liners, and a naughty postcard attitude to tits, bums and other unmentionables so deeply ingrained in the British sense of humour. All were outstanding, but in particular Alicia Davies’ depiction of the spiky but vulnerable Rachel Crabbe caught the eye.”
Read MoreDuring the heady days of the sixties, when British bands dominated the charts, there was only one American band, apart from the Beach Boys, that could give the Beatles and the Stones a run for their money – the Four Seasons. Nevertheless, the Four Seasons, with their distinctive lead singer Frankie Valli, were a bit of an anachronism.
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Few dramatists can lay a claim to be ‘actor proof’, in the sense that the lines in their plays or their plots do all the work and that however much a company sets out to mangle the playwright’s intentions, something wonderful will shine through. Fewer still go the extra mile and demand a particular kind of approach – indeed a particular kind of delivery – in order to unlock whatever treasure may lie within…Peter McKIntosh’s set is the kind you would like to move into as it sets the action firmly in the comfortable home counties.
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The cast is made up of only six actors, which is a bit of a surprise when they come to the final bow. Scott Ainslie’s portrayal of Macbeth’s descent into madness is chilling – his swagger and bravado giving way to paranoia and fear. Laura Murray as Lady Macbeth begins her role delightfully wickedly, and ends it tragically in the horrible scene on the ramparts of the castle, desperately trying to remove the ‘damned spot’ from her hands.
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