Macbeth

It may seem a stretch to qualify Kip William’s decision to about-face the Sydney Theatre artistically as more than gimmick (especially during some particularly tokenistic Benny Hill-esque scenes through the ghost-towned seats, and when dialogue gets lost in architecture designed to project it away from the stagebound audience).

It’s not hard, however, to acknowledge the unique opportunity it provides to see some of the best in the game, at their best, at close range. And what paces that cast are put through, most manning multiple roles the confluences of which have an eerie resonance with the unfolding tragedy – Paula Arundell slain by Macbeth as both Banquo and Lady Macduff; Eden Falk as two sons, Malcolm and Fleance; John Gaden, for just a brilliant moment, as a child. This juggling has drawbacks though, stifling the potential for some relationships – Macbeth and wife, for example – to be meaningfully sustained, and to an unfamiliar audience the understated costuming will add another hurdle to the potential confusion. For his part, Hugo Weaving as Macbeth best exemplifies the impossible tug-of-war between superstition and superman, clambering with purpose down an empty bay of seats – an image offsetting the discomfort of the onstage bleachers, justifying the reversed staging – or with that glance, his final act, before departing.

STC,  The Wharf to 27 Sep