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The Scottish Play in Southampton

Year 11 trip to impressive production of 'Macbeth'

Nearly 50 Year 10 and  11 students went to see the National Theatre’s touring production of Macbeth at The Mayflower in Southampton.

Amelia McKenzie reviews the show:

This production had an exciting contemporary interpretation of the play and although I have read and studied Macbeth for a while, this play seemed fresh and had all the dramatic tension that Shakespeare intended. The set was particularly amazing, designed by Rae Smith. It featured a huge raked platform that was moved throughout the play, allowing for interesting levels and smooth scene changes.

A personal favourite scene was the very beginning, when the witches open the play. The three witches were portrayed as much more eerie and sinister than I have ever imagined, adding to the dark atmosphere and setting the dark tone from the start.

However, the highlight of the play was Kirsty Besterman as Lady Macbeth (pictured, courtesy of the production photos online). She perfectly showed the change in Lady Macbeth’s character: strong and manipulative and then full of remorse for her actions. She had a much softer tone to the nightmare scene, making the audience understand her fragile state of mind and completely contrasting to her first scenes with Macbeth. There was also the addition of a scene between Macbeth and his wife after she has taken her life which was heart-breaking and showed Macbeth’s love for her despite the change in their relationship dynamic.

Overall, I really enjoyed the play and this dark, contemporary interpretation allowed me to look at the play from a different angle, increasing my understanding of the text.