Harrogate Theatre – 24 February 2023
Reviwed by Sal E Marino
5*****
Imitating the Dog have produced yet another ground-breaking, edgy and innovative play in the form of Macbeth. What greatly appeals with this production is that by taking Macbeth into a dystopian modern context, making him a gang warlord in the seedy underbelly of a criminal world, we get to watch his downfall unfold in a place we can know exists but don’t ever want to go. It becomes a cautionary tale to all as a ‘not-what-to-do guide’ and therefore modern-day commandments. All around, cryptic graphics, mysterious images and extremely clever camera work flood the stage along with a young and very talented cast. This is what makes this production of Macbeth reach out to an audience who might be switched off by a traditional version; it’s more diverse and accessible to a wider audience. We ‘got’ the characters quickly due to their dark costumes, gestures and line delivery so it was easy to gage which timeline and story set we were in from the get-go.
The relationship portrayal of the couple; Macbeth (Banjamin Westerby) and Lady M (Maia Tamrakar) gave me feelings of bitter-sweet and tragic rather than totally toxic – which I’ve felt in other versions – but with these two, despite knowing the ending, you still find yourself thinking there might be a chance that they will just stop! See sense – the bigger picture and so go off and live happily ever after! On stage, they create that sense of a magnetic pull that of which soul mates share but due to their time and placement in the world, they end up becoming a dysfunctional co-dependant couple who will only end in a catastrophic mash-up until they both become aware of it. Both Westerby and Tamrakar being a younger pairing give the Macbeth’s a vulnerability that I’ve not felt before. In this setting, there is more of an understanding (not acceptance) of why they act like they do because being emersed in a gang-culture of: ‘dog-eat-dog’, paranoia, drugs, money and hopelessness creates a frequency of being in constant fear and thus creating an overwhelming hunger for survival.
Is this how it was for the ‘original’ Macbeth back in the 11th century or how Shakespeare felt in 1606? Probably similar but, due to thinking of Macbeth as an older, wiser and loyal soldier as in most other adaptations, there is less of a human response to his unforgivable actions – Duncan had treated him fairly so there is no justification whatsoever for his murder. Macbeth didn’t appear to be under any threat whereas in Imitating the Dog’s version, there is a feeling of suspicion and murder threatening Macbeth from the start.
Traditionally, the ambitious and power mad Macbeths go insane at the suggestion of becoming rulers and forget they are part of a human race; feeling nothing for their fellow man as being ‘at the top’ (monarchs) becomes their focus but, in this production, we can see that the very young Macbeth’s are trapped in a complex web of self and collective trauma (arisen from the childhood and the age they live in) and you wish they could see this and heal before what happens – happens.
The three other cast members: Laura Atherton, Stefan Chanyaem and Matt Prendergast all play multiple characters with their own unique twists perfectly. The clear diction, variety of tones, accents and larger-than-life personas give some intriguing interpretations of various characters. The ‘witches’ dress like punk – ‘Joker’ – villains but appear to be dark angels – suggesting things that trigger Macbeth’s cruel crusade of destruction and finally his downfall. As mentioned earlier, the set, lights, sound and props are all first-class and kudos must be given all round to such a brilliant creative team. The creatives really make this production stand out and I think even a non-Shakespeare lover will enjoy this production of Macbeth as it has a high appeal to all from the higher end of teenager – up. (Imitating the Dog recommend 14 plus – but you need to enquire further about the content if you have any concerns).
Macbeth’s tragic tale is centuries old, and you’d think we’d have learnt by now that power over others is not what serves humankind well whereas being sovereign in our own right, so bringing equality and harmony with one another does. Unfortunately, until we learn that lesson, the pattern will just repeat itself. Imitating the Dog have shared this message with us again on a new timeline brilliantly and with a highly stimulating, fresh aesthetics.