Macbeth is a Fringe favourite, and having seen many adaptations of ‘The Scottish Play’, it is safe to say Greenwich Theatre's adaption was particularly interesting and entertaining. While sticking closely to the original text, this company emphasised on the power of the women in the play by making the link with women in World War II on the home front. As much as I loved the feminist take, I did have problems with the noise of the plane bombings coming over on speakers. The witches became arms manufacturers and their messages were transmitted through the wireless. I think I would have preferred to see them as real actors on the stage as something was lost in the lack of visual depiction.
The Witches' laughs however did make me chuckle. The cast in general were great, but perhaps their young age showed a little. I do often think casts of the Scottish Play don't seem to fully comprehend their characters especially if they are a young production, on the while this wasn't the case and it was performed well. A few blacked out scene changes were too long and a lack of props and backdrop did make keeping up with the story slightly difficult for anyone who isn't familiar with the play. Knowing the nature of the fringe, however, this isn't always possible.
My criticisms should be interpreted as trivial. I did enjoy the modern aesthetic twist was just right to retain the importance of Macbeth.
