Macbeth, Royal Shakespeare Theatre, Stratford-upon-Avon - review
Christopher Eccleston and Niamh Cusack are brilliantly paired as the Macbeths in Polly Findlay's production.
The former Doctor Who star recently complained about not being offered the top classical roles because of his Northern accent. In this show he proves himself more than competent to tackle anything the Royal Shakespeare Comany wants to put his way.
He is every inch the warrior king: a loud, muscular bruiser slipping into homicidal lunacy. The finest moments come as Eccleston and Cusack plot their killings; you can almost smell the madness.
But what a shame these two superb performers find themselves in such a messy and disorientating production.
At times it seems Findlay deliberately tries to distract us from the action. As a great speech begins, someone rolls up a red carpet, fiddles with a water fountain or pushes a Hoover across the stage.
Throughout the show, surtitles are projected giving us significant quotes, a location and the time, ticking away on a giant digital clock. Try paying attention to the text when the signs are saying: "WHAT'S DONE CANNOT BE UNDONE. FIFE. 02.22.56."
The witches are played by doll-carrying little girls who look pretty but cannot be heard, and the modern-dress setting means yet another outing for those all-purpose combat suits and big boots which have become as much a cliché as men in tights were 50 years ago.
The great warrior Macduff (Edward Bennett) is a plump civil servant with a cardigan and briefcase and the Porter (Michael Hodgson) is a weird, unfunny caretaker. Time and again in this show you ask yourself, 'why?'.
Macbeth is at Stratford until September 18. It will be broadcast live to selected cinemas on April 11.
