*****

The East Midlands has been treated to Shakespeare’s greatest hits just recently. A few weeks  ago the RSC brought Hamlet to  Nottingham. Now Derby theatre in conjunction with Hull Truck Theatre , and Octagon Theatre Bolton, offer us Macbeth

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The Tragedy of Macbeth is thought to have been first performed in 1606  and dramatizes the physically violent and damaging psychological effects of political ambition and power. It is Shakespeare’s shortest tragedy written during the reign of King James I, and  contains the most allusions to James, patron of Shakespeare’s acting company. In the era of the predominance of Donald Trump this cautionary tale of the dangers of power could not be more prescient.

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If you don’t know the plot, where have you been for the last four hundred and twenty years?

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The set is spartan, industrial  and austere. Grey  flagstones are   speckled with weeds against a  backdrop  of doorways and an iron staircase illuminated by  eerie lamplight. This is no luxury castle. Is it a bunker? Is it a barracks? Is it a prison? Is it an underground carpark? It is brutal, and unforgiving- just like the play. There are lots of doors, some dead ends, some exits, some entrances, just like the choices facing the play’s characters. The multiple multi level doors and doorways create a sense that whatever route or door is taken, the fate of the characters is sealed. Hell is murky

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 Costuming  and weaponry is modern as is the overall tenor of proceedings. Rachel Canning does a skilful job with her set and costume design to underscore that. Rarely do I namecheck fight directors. With the suitably exotically named Haruka KurodaI , I make an exception. The closing showdown is terrific, visceral, muscular and tense, enormously aided by the physical presence of  Oliver Alvin Wilson in the titular role. The ensuing bloodbath makes Quentin Tarantino look tame.

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The main protagonists are Macbeth (Oliver Alvin-Wilson) and his conniving wife, Lady Macbeth,  played by Derby theatre favourite Jo Mousley.  

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Not only does Alvin Wilson have an imposing physique, he also has the ability to roll hubris, ambition and  vulnerability into a compelling performance. That performance is hugely  energised by Jo Mousley who smoulders as Lady Macbeth.

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In the 1970’s Helen Mirren gave a career defining performance as a gangster’s moll in the film;  “The Long Good Friday”. Mousley’s performance is a raven haired spin on that. Sexy, sassy,  and assured, she brings 21st Century Girl Power to a 17^th century creation. Yet still she also  convinces in her white nightgown , disintegrating  amidst the wreckage of her plotting, centre stage. It is a wonderfully executed scene.

Director, Mark Babych, has managed to update this tragedy without losing its essence, aided and abetted by an unusually strong ensemble cast- the witches themselves chilling and thrilling. It lasts a taut two hours and thirty minutes including interval and runs until Saturday 18^th April

Gary Longden