Review: 'Macbeth' - Eagle's Nest Theatre Company

Eagle’s Nest Theatre Company’s latest production of Macbeth has been advertised as, “Shakespeare as it should be – no frills, plenty of thrills & chills.” This is exactly the approach that the company has adopted, performing Macbeth as it may have been in the early 17^th century.

This traditional approach allowed the audience to reflect on the characters’ journey into inner conflict and, in some cases madness, rather than on the regal costumes, dazzling effects and modern adaptations that are seen in many contemporary Shakespeare productions.

Most of the acting performances demonstrated a strong knowledge of the text and of Shakespearean verse. Jason Cavanagh as the title role was a stand out, creating a completely three-dimensional characterisation of the tragic king. Elizabeth Slattery gave a fantastic performance as Lady Macbeth, revealing the dark motivations of her character that eventually lead to her absolute derangement.

As always with productions of Macbeth, the three witches were an exciting breath of fresh air. Kendy Gable, Poppy Tremayne and Stephanie Evison-Williams portrayed each ‘weird sister’ with their own individual nuance. Poppy Tremayne also appeared as the role of Lady Macduff, a scene of intense emotion that is often overplayed. Her performance in this short scene was excellent and it was disappointing that her talents were limited to only few scenes.

The whole cast worked well as an ensemble, giving the impression that the onstage relationships were comfortable and real. This was especially evident in the chemistry between Cavanagh and Slattery, as Macbeth and his wife, and the unnerving bond between the three witches.

Sean Kavanagh’s direction definitely supported the actors’ performances. Scenes were mostly blocked appropriately so that a large number of people were positioned carefully on the small performance space, although occasionally someone’s lines were recited from behind another actor. Also, the idea to have the witches transform the set between each scene reinforced their power and influence over the play’s action.

Despite the already basic staging, an even more minimalist approach could have benefited the production. Robbie Lingham’s set consisted of cardboard structures in the shape of castle walls, towers and forests. These often distracted from the performance and caused scene transitions to be slowed down. The opening of Act IV involved a bare stage except for the witches’ cauldron, which allowed a much-improved focus on the story line and the actors. The costumes were strong in some areas, for example the witches’, Porter’s and regal costumes but were undermined by other anachronistic costumes, for example tweed coats, dresses and high heels that resembled the fashion of the 1950s.

The lighting design was very effective in conveying different locations and moods. The use of a red spotlight was successful in distinguishing characters’ soliloquies from the rest of the dialogue. A brilliant soundscape was presented by Daniel Nixon, which heightened the tone and emotions of the scene. However, the contemporary scene transition music was somewhat distracting even with some links to their preceding scenes being evident.

Despite this, Eagle’s Nest Theatre Company’s production of Macbeth was upheld by dedicated and endearing performances, which allowed the genuine strength of Shakespeare’s original psychological tragedy to shine through.

This review can also be viewed at theatrepeople.com.au