Feb 14,2013
Review: Macbeth at the Trafalgar Studios (starring James McAvoy)
Posted by Anna with 1 Comment
Posted on February 14, 2013 by Poly Gianniba
Should I start at the beginning or the end? The very good or the not so good? Any way you look at it, Jamie Lloyd’s production of Macbeth at the Trafalgar studios (or Trafalgar Transformed as it’s being rebranded) is a play of two halves: until the interval, I was happy to declare it one of the best productions in recent memory. After the interval, it lost momentum and struggled to regain focus.
Some problems in the second half are due to long absences of the protagonist: his name is above the title and his performance shows he deserves it. James McAvoy accommodates the soldier, the husband, the friend and the killer with surprising ease. The words dance out of his mouth fresh and unexpected. His Macbeth is clear eyed about moral consequences though unapologetic about his choices. Apparitions, ghosts and bloody daggers hang around him as much as in him. He fights them as much as he welcomes them. It’s a fearless commanding performance of light and shade, and it fuels the production.
Claire Foy as Lady Macbeth matches his drive and strength. Their first physical contact is of birds beaking each other. Their scene in Act III is full of danger: he can snap her in two, she can throw him in hell. Their every moment together is of tenderness and death.
Read the rest of the review at the original source!
This entry was posted
on Thursday, February 14th, 2013 at 6:35 pm and is filed under "Macbeth".
You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed.
You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.
Character Lady Macbeth
Character Charlotte Pugh
Character Lady Persephone
Character Kate Loy
Character Dawn
Can I politely request that you don’t post the entire review but extract and a link? thanks