Shakespeare can be hard to do at the Fringe, and even harder to do in an hour. But while this cast clearly believe in their production and put effort into their roles, they can’t save what is all too often a poorly thought-out and poorly directed production.This company reimagines the action of the play in an Aztec-style matriarchal society, but the problem isn’t that the concept doesn’t work in principle. Its world of double-crossing, gossip and verbal pomp makes it ideal to set in a female-dominated world where words are as powerful as actions. I was certainly imaging how intimidating my own mother could be when watching this play that entirely fails to make its various leaders believable. It is disappointing to find lackadaisical movement, poor use of voice and weak body language routinely preventing us from buying into the concept.In other places cast members misdirect their energy. Too many a scene was ruined by shouty, screamy or whiny reading of the verse which shows a cast willing and wanting to give the words emotion and meaning, but sadly without the guidance to carry it through successfully. Many lines even became incomprehensible due to the delivery.Similarly bad choices include final lines spoken mid-death, rich with ham but little else, and the use of long spears during the fight scenes which was messy, unrealistic, and dangerous to boot.There were some promising performances, and it must be stressed that there were many obvious attempts at engagement with the text - this isn’t a lazy company. Ultimately, however, none of the performances were fleshed out enough to prevent this play from just categorically missing the mark.
