Macbeth

Open-air theatre isn’t usually a feature of November but you barely notice the cold with the innovative backdrops and enthralling performances in Omnibus’s new production of ‘Macbeth’.

Shakespeare’s play is staged in different locations around Clapham, using local landmarks to immerse the audience in the tragedy.

It begins on Clapham Common, and the audience are lead from scene to scene, illuminating the action with head torches. The actors’ breath steams in the winter air as they recite Shakespeare’s verse. The outdoor settings are incredibly atmospheric; when the witches predict Macbeth’s rise to the throne, they huddle around a bin with fire inside, slurring their words and cackling drunkenly. Later, Lady Macbeth (Jennifer Jackson) stands at the top of a fire escape, gripping the handrails with excited apprehension as we look up at her.

Although these outside elements suit the mood of the play, the magic is slightly broken in the transition between scenes. Another downside is that some of the Bard’s words are lost among the car-horns of Clapham High Street. Nevertheless, the ambitious staging adds an intriguing new dimension to the work.

Back in the warmth of the Omnibus theatre, the drama unfolds. We witness the spiralling descent into the madness of Macbeth, played with captivatingly crazed eyes by Gregory Finnegan. His hallucinations seem so believable that the dagger before him has an unnerving tangibility. In another highlight, Lady Macbeth throws a party and invites the audience to eat and drink with her. Indeed, Gemma Kerr’s production is at its best when it explores the intimate relationships and inner turmoils of the characters.

The production drags towards the end in the battle scene, but despite the slight drop in pace, this finishes as it begins: a bewitchingly original interpretation.