The Tenth Doctor stars in Shakespeare's Scottish tragedy, Macbeth, and gives a performance which cements him in the theatrical hall of fame and leads audiences to feel as if they've just watched a psychological thriller.
The formidable Oscar Wilde once remarked that “the theatre as the greatest of all art forms, the most immediate way in which a human being can share with another the sense of what it is to be a human being.” Today I truly understand with each fibre of my being what he meant by that, as though every vibration of the vocal cords issued to speak this quote into existence has hit me and consumed my utter being. This production of Macbeth, which is directed by Max Webster and held at the Donmar Warehouse emulates the true nature of theatre. The theatre which consumed Chekhov, the theatre which Gielgud held at such high jubilation and the theatre which has, and continues to, define generation after generation.
David Tennant stars as his fellow countryman in the Donmar’s production of this tragedy, with Cush Jumbo starring as Lady Macbeth. With both actors having immense experience in Shakespearean roles on the West End (Tennant having previously starred in Much Ado About Nothing and Hamlet and Jumbo in Julius Caesar) this show was promised from the start to excel. Both delivered phenomenal performances which captivated the audience. Tennant captures the vicious nature of the character and brings a sinister edge to the tyrant of theatre. Unlike previous productions of Macbeth, Tennant fully captures the harshness of Macbeth – consistently haunting his own and others' moral conscience.
There is one particularly striking element of this production which sets it apart from any previous renditions of Macbeth – headphones. Tony award-winning sound designer Gareth Fry uses cutting-edge technology to help transport the audience into the pages of Shakespeare’s seminal work. This technology allows one to hear intimate narration from cast members, specifically striking during soliloquies. It feels as if we are eavesdropping on Macbeth’s decline into insanity with a fresh Freudian perspective on nihilistic semantics. A commonly heard sound throughout the production is the echos of crows taking off which helps to perpetuate the sinister tones of the Shakespearean tragedy. The headphones also help to create the presence of the witches. As an audience, we are never directly exposed to the witches on stage – only through the whispers of the headphones. This, along with how Tennant acts the role, acts as a proponent for the case of Macbeth’s prior self-induced insanity which presided in his character far before he is first introduced to the witches. Fry’s choice of the use of headphones helps to propel the play into a fast-paced, high-tensed psychodrama. A psychodrama with the urgency of a child in search of the bathroom.
The Donmar’s intimate, two-hundred and fifty-one seating theatre helps to transport the reader into what feels like a scene out of Orson Welles’ Citizen Kane where we hold jurisdiction on the atrocities of Macbeth’s Beelzebub-like fall from grace. The costume choice, the ensemble all wears grey-long sleeved shirts donned by Chelsea boots and knee-high socks, helps to create focus on the thespians and dramaturgical development. Leading the characters to be ambiguous to time and war. Unlike other productions, such as Patrick Stewart’s 2010 rendition which is set in 1960s Romania, this Macbeth transcends any pompous demonstrations – such as battle scenes and audaciously loud battle suits. Overall this choice reflects the revolutionary nature of Donmar’s production of Macbeth which utilises sound and space to provide a psychologically thrilling rendition of this classic with Tennant offering a haunting experience.
Macbeth runs at the Donmar until 10th February.
