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Half A Macbeth
May. 15th, 2018 05:40 pmWhen we were originally planning to go to London for the weekend, SM and I had booked tickets to see Macbeth at the National. SM ran his half-marathon (he completed in less than three hours so was happy), and I went to the theatre.
It should have been good: Rory Kinnear as Macbeth and Anne-Marie Duff (one of my favourite actresses) as Lady Macbeth. But the reviews as they came in weren't promising - I don't read the reviews until I've seen a play, but it was impossible to miss the headlines. And none of my friends was interested in taking up the spare ticket - they'd already seen it.
Nevertheless I tried to be impartial. I know sometimes what appeals to me isn't what others enjoy. But sadly I was disappointed. There's been plenty of adverse comment about the setting, but that I could probably have ignored. However the play seemed very one-paced. Too much in the way of gimmick, too little letting the story tell itself. I discovered Stephen Boxer (another actor I like) was playing Duncan, but I hadn't realised until the interval, so little freedom were the actors given to show anything.
During the interval I read some of the reviews on my phone - in case they said the play improved in the second half. They didn't. So, since I knew what happened, and there didn't seem to be any chance of it happening in an interesting (as opposed to bizarre) way, and since catching an earlier train back to Richmond would mean there were less drunks around, I gave up and went back.
At least I was fore-warned - and SM hadn't come.
It should have been good: Rory Kinnear as Macbeth and Anne-Marie Duff (one of my favourite actresses) as Lady Macbeth. But the reviews as they came in weren't promising - I don't read the reviews until I've seen a play, but it was impossible to miss the headlines. And none of my friends was interested in taking up the spare ticket - they'd already seen it.
Nevertheless I tried to be impartial. I know sometimes what appeals to me isn't what others enjoy. But sadly I was disappointed. There's been plenty of adverse comment about the setting, but that I could probably have ignored. However the play seemed very one-paced. Too much in the way of gimmick, too little letting the story tell itself. I discovered Stephen Boxer (another actor I like) was playing Duncan, but I hadn't realised until the interval, so little freedom were the actors given to show anything.
During the interval I read some of the reviews on my phone - in case they said the play improved in the second half. They didn't. So, since I knew what happened, and there didn't seem to be any chance of it happening in an interesting (as opposed to bizarre) way, and since catching an earlier train back to Richmond would mean there were less drunks around, I gave up and went back.
At least I was fore-warned - and SM hadn't come.
