On the Rocks: Macbeth Review

The On The Rocks Festival started off this weekend with what was, quite honestly, the best production of Macbeth I have ever seen. The production was staged in the castle, an excellent choice by director Siobhan Cannon-Brownlie, as it provided the perfect backdrop of sinister scenery and Scottish seaside.

To begin with, the evening was set as bagpipes called audience members towards the castle, an alluring and fitting start to what is termed ‘The Scottish Play’ by theatre-goers (due to an old theater legend of the curse of Macbeth, it is taboo to speak the name in the theatre for fear of cursing the production).

The play, which began at sundown with the three witches’ prophecy, gained momentum as the plot thickened and night descended. Xander Forsyth’s Macbeth traced the downward spiral of ambition and madness with an evil precision which, united with Caroline Howitt’s chilling portrayal of Lady Macbeth, was rivaled only by the frigid temperatures.

Will Moore’s Banquo also deserves honorable mention, for his ghostly, bloody reappearance after Macbeth has him murdered- the wide-eyed, accusing look along with the blood dripping from his mouth was both disgusting and intriguing, and perfectly matched Macbeth’s ravings.

The entire cast performed spectacularly despite the freezing wind and the absence of microphones and a stage.

The audience was seated towards the back of the castle, facing the back wall and the sea, though needed to turn around to view the witches’ prophecies, which took place around the well in the center.

The best part about staging Macbeth in the castle was the way the silhouettes of the characters were flung up on the ruined walls. The most noteworthy of these points was when Macbeth sought out the three witches- though the audience couldn’t make out their faces, the witches’ white dresses stood out against the wall of the castle, while Macbeth appeared as a desperate, demonic black shadow. The disembodied voice, predicting Macbeth’s eventual fall, was also a fantastically creepy touch.

The only negative comment about the performance that I have heard was, along with the temperature, the need for the audience to turn around to view some of the scenes (which, in retrospect, actually added variety). All in all, the play was a definite success, making one regret the fact that it has run its course and will not be performed tomorrow, and tomorrow, and tomorrow…

Photos: © Mairi McGilveray