York Theatre Royal – Tuesday 25th January 2021
Reviewed by Michelle Richardson
3.5***
This Macbeth is bought to life by The HandleBards, a cycling Shakespearean Company that tries to cycle their way to different venues, with a zero-emission electric van carrying their wooden stage and bicycle-powered set accompanying them. York Theatre Royal is hosting this environmentally sustainable company, with three shows over two days.
The all-female troupe of three actors, Kathryn (Kat) Perkins, Natalie (Nat) Simone and Jenny Smith, I was so wanting her name to be something like Pat, but alas, it wasn’t to be, introduce themselves to the audience and tell us who they will be portraying. Yes, only three actors playing all the characters. If you’ve seen one of HandleBards shows before, you know you are going to be treated to a condensed madcap, chaotic and humorous take on the traditional Shakespearean play. This didn’t disappoint.
In this physical production, the legendary tale of power and treachery is very loosely followed. It starts with a prophecy by three witches, singing and playing instruments, that one day Macbeth will become King of Scotland. Consumed by ambition and encouragement from his wife, what follows is a downward spiral of murder, paranoia, madness, and death.
Kat plays Macbeth, resplendent in a red biker leather jacket, with a cockney accent and a laddish attitude. Nat is his “Strictly Come Dancing” loving wife who descends into madness. Amongst her many roles, Jenny is the Scottish MacDuff, adorned with a black leather biker jacket, competing with Macbeth to prove who is the manliest man, I can’t repeat how this is done, you must go and see for yourselves, it certainly gave us a giggle. All three had great chemistry together, jumping from one character to another, with changes of accent, though at times I struggled to identify quite what accent they were trying to portray.
The scene changes are shown with the help of pedal power, whilst the change of characters are delivered with great effect. This could be just a jacket or hat hanging in mid-air, the addition of goggles or clothing. This is a feat, just to remember what to wear and when, and who they are portraying, in very frantic circumstances.
Unexpected props are used to help the story along. Handlebars, indicating motorbikes, zooming on and off stage. Pockets filled with never ending red confetti, signifying blood in this gory tragedy. We even have a kazoo, with Nat belting out a Queen number, amongst other tunes. The costumes were kept simple, with bike references, special mention to the crown with it’s reflective lights all around and tyre inners creating the shape.
At times I found the dialogue muffled and the storytelling got a bit lost and confusing, though the premise is very inventive, making Shakespeare accessible for all. This is a bit of manic fun, with some terrific energetic performances from all three actors.