Hell Hath No Fury seeks to grant an alternative view of Lady Macbeth and women in Shakespeare. Broadway Baby chats to Emma Hopkins about the where, the why and the how.
I’ve noticed that he often manages to subtly lay the blame for the actions of his heroes/anti-heroes at the feet of women. All of the destruction in Hamlet stems from Gertrude marrying her brother-in-law, Othello kills for the love of Desdemona, Goneril and Regan create the violence in King Lear.. etc.
Tell us about your show
Lady Macbeth (Elanor) finds herself institutionalised after Duncan’s death, to clear her name she enlists the help of a writer to tell the world what really happened. As part of her research the writer seeks out one of the Witches and finds there is more to the story than even Elanor knows. Both women are forced to confront their past and long lost secrets are dredged to the surface, driving Elanor to distraction. We travel alongside Elanor and the Witch experiencing their memories, sharing moments of their journey, as their past and present begin to merge.
Why did you decide to take your show to Space UK this year?
As this is our first visit to Edinburgh, we wanted to be performing somewhere that offered help and guidance. theSpace were recommended to us by someone who had previously worked with them and found them very supportive. The venues themselves looked great, and the variety of spaces meant that there was the option to choose a venue that would fit and compliment the production.
What are you most looking forward to at this year’s festival?
Showing my work and seeing other great productions.
What makes your show unique amongst the thousands of others at the festival?
This show aims to add a little balance to Shakespeare’s treatment of one of theatre’s greatest villainesses. Hell Hath No Fury is centred around Lady Macbeth and one of the Witches, from Shakespeare’s infamous tragedy. It weaves original music and dramatic narrative together to give an alternative view of Elanor Macbeth and the part these women played the magic and murders of the original play.
How did you create your show?
I’ve always been fascinated by Lady Macbeth as a character, because she’s so strong in comparison to a lot of Shakespeare’s women. Also, from reading and performing quite a few of Shakespeare’s plays, I’ve noticed that he often manages to subtly lay the blame for the actions of his heroes/anti-heroes at the feet of women. All of the destruction in Hamlet stems from Gertrude marrying her brother-in-law, Othello kills for the love of Desdemona, Goneril and Regan create the violence in King Lear.. etc. and I just thought it might be interesting to give one of them a voice to present an alternative view, and I just felt that there had to be more to her!
Can you tell us a bit about your company’s background?
RumDoxy Theatre was founded by sisters Jo and Emma Hopkins in late 2011. Following their success with a small scale touring student theatre group they co-created at university, after graduation they decided to continue producing exciting adaptations of Shakespeare. From A Midsummer Night’s Dream set inside the subconscious minds of the four lovers to Twelfth Night, placed in a basement recording studio, not only is the text framed in a new setting but every production has a unique RumDoxy twist. Hell Hath No Fury is the first devised piece RumDoxy has produced, however this is not the first devised work for Emma.
Show Name: Hell Hath No Fury
Production Company: RumDoxy Theatre
Venue: theSpace @ Jury’s Inn
Dates: 7-29th August (Excluding Sundays)
Times: 16:05-16:55
Twitter Handle: @LadyMacbethHHNF
