Studio: Macbeth

Well, this was an unexpected delight on a cold afternoon in Catford. From the opening scene with the prancing witches, to the blood-chilling Lady MacB, via an impressive cast, it was an absorbing and illuminating production, all the more so for being performed on a shoestring. Highly recommended.

Really impresive production all round. Macbeth delivers the verse with such gravitas and gathering momentum its chilling. His Lady also fab is terrifying. Complimenting them and the real strength of this production are the other stories which are often not fully explored and tendancies to blur into a generic wash of thanes- not here. Well etched characterisations all round left me pleasantly suprised and kept me on the edge of my seat all the way through and I know the story. Lots of twists, all justified by strong choices- I won't spoil the fab ending, go see this!

A great production of a classic. With some intresting and strong choices. The ensamble cast really delivers it makes the globe look like an over rated garden shed!

An innovative production. Great acting and affecting soundscape make for a stimulating experience.

A really impressive production, some brilliant acting and really imaginative ideas as well as great design and music. A cut above the best of the fringe.

I haven't seen such a well thought out, intelligent production of Shakespeare for a very long time. Top banana.

I'm sure I'm not the only person who found this fringe production of Macbeth utterly electrifying. The clever context, smart interpretations and sharp stage direction provided an excellent platform for the captivating cast. I was posititvely transfixed by Gareth Bale in the title role, whose stage presence and vocal resonance is spellbinding (it was like listening to Richard Burton's commanding narrative in Jeff Wayne's War of the Worlds. Goosebumps.) Helen Miller was also hypnotic as his first steely, then tortured Lady. George Richmond-Scott's Banquo went from rather boyish, affable friend (a refreshing take on the character) to haunting, blood-streaked fiend with ease. These are just three examples of excellent performances in a thoroughly gifted cast. The chances of your seeing a fringe production of Macbeth of such intelligence and energy are (as Jeff Wayne would put it) a million to one.

This was innovative & engaging theatre at its best! The accomplished cast displayed a mature & assured approach to the verse coupled with real passion. It is hard to single out anyone performance from such a tight ensemble but certainly the Macbeth's shone. I was riveted from the original opening to the bloody end!

I adore the Unexpected and it was from the very beginning. A thrilling start with the magnificent dance of the Witches. The chemistry, the witchcraft and Wizard of Oz enigma. Chapeau bas! I found myself waiting with my muscles all tensed for the next appearance of the weird trio. They have injected the (much anticipated) Unexpected. Loved it!

An inspiring and innovative production, much enjoyed by a captivated audience in Catford. Gareth Bale truly shines as Macbeth and Helen Millar, as his deranged wife, delivers a hypnotising performance, while the pared down sets magnify the characters and the intrigue and tragedy that envelops them. Thoroughly enjoyable.

Watch out for clever touches in this absorbing production of Macbeth - the use of goggles when Macbeth seeks out the weird sisters & Lady Macbeth's sudden nose bleed are examples. Strong cast and excellent direction - highly recommended.

After having sat through one lacklustre RSC Shakespeare performance last season I was delighted with this fast paced and engaging production. The minimal set is the perfect environment for Lacey's contemporary interpretation of the play. The director, keeps the audience's attention whilst the cast bring each character to life. The choreography and fight scenes are particularly effective and one is transported into a complete world of the director's invention. Don't miss it!

This was a fantastic production of a great play - Lacey has coaxed superb performances out of her cast, exemplified by the witches whose hold over the play is enhanced by the three very capable actors taking up other roles throughout. There is an impressive attention to detail and the production is capped by a sparse but evocative set and a haunting soundscape. Definitely worth seeing. At least twice.

Alice Lacey's production of Macbeth is a slickly professional affair, with a company that binds together perfectly in a fast-paced and thrilling piece of theatre. She brings a freshness to the play with an intriguing interpretation of well-known roles, adding exciting twists to an old classic.

Thoroughly enjoyable production! It's rare that one sees a story that you're so familiar with, and yet are excited to 'see what happens next'. It's rarer still to see a story that you're familiar with and be surprised by the ending.

Young director Alice Lacey directs this 'Macbeth' with great assurance. By presenting the witches in a stunning ritualistic dance at the opening her production conjures at once the allure they exert over Macbeth's imagination as he and his lady, driven by untrammeled ambition, chase the dragon of power towards disillusion, remorse and death. Their journey is admirably played by Gareth Bale and Helen Miller. They are supported by a strong ensemble of actors who bring energy, discipline and confidence to their interpretations of the text.
I enjoyed this production as much as any I've seen - it's a gem.

After a fabulously engaging and original opening from the witches, Lacey's Macbeth continued to delight me throughout with particularly good performances from the two women; Helen Millar's Lady Macbeth was perfectly spikey and cold and delivered with a clarity that made her ruthless acts never the less believable. Worth seeing if only for Millar's example of how Shakespeare should be done. Lacey directs with an exciting pace that keeps our attention at all times. Go see!

Brilliant - I've rarely seen Shakespeare on this kind of small-stage scale, made so engaging. Fast-paced and barbed with dark, unsettling moments. The play begins with a compellingly coreographed sequence from the most original witches I've ever seen and the production lives up to this innovative and impactful opening. Absolutely worth a trip to Catford!

Fantastic and fast-paced production - Alice Lacey's well judged direction allows the play's action flow rapidly without sacrificing the poetry.

A young ensemble are led brilliantly by Gareth Bale in the title role and Helen Miller as his queen - both of whom command the stage with distinction. The witches (so often a stumbling block) are cast as 'lost boys' with a completely different and primal physical register to the rest of the production, which helps to bridge the gap between the action of the play and their ominious predictions... they aren't simply reduced to the role of 'fates' and their supernatual-ness is as much through their counterpointing the masculine world of the main action.

The rest of the ensemble offer strong support, with distinctive choices having been taken with each character. Hence, many of the oft generic thanes that typically blur into obscurity are given three-dimensional complexity, and we are given a England scene which proves totally engaging in a completely different way to how I've ever seen it played.

Yes, I am a friend of someone in the cast - but I certainly wouldn't have bothered posting this if I thought this was just your typical fringe fare. Rarely have I seen such a strong and well-drilled ensemble make such an impression on a classic text. It kept the school group that were in completely rapt as well, for which us grown-ups were even more thankful. Highly recommended.