Macbeth
The Guildford Shakespeare Company have found a delightfully apt space for their latest show. Performing within the cavernous Holy Trinity Church allows for great atmosphere and beautiful acoustics. Shadows dance on the walls, eerie sound effects perturb and the cast carry the piece with solid conviction. Caroline Devlin‘s production is a strong one that succeeds in delivering everything you’d expect from Shakespeare’s tragedy. Sarah Bacon‘s design engulfs the audience in the round and draws us in on the Macbeth’s bloody plight.
Tom McGovern delivers the lead vigorously – one moment with clenched fist frustration and then others in a stooped over physical frenzy. Johanne Murdock‘s dextrous portrayal of Lady Macbeth is venomously fierce – her “out damned spot” speech played with chilling realness. Morgan Philpott‘s Macduff also deserves accolades for the weighty portrayal of a brutal warrior who crumbles when all is lost. One of the performance’s most electric moments is the Witches’ prophecies which are stylised with striking physicality and slickness.
An injection of pace in some parts wouldn’t go a miss and at times one wonders if more of the church’s architecture could be further explored by the performers. However, this Macbeth in this grand location is very much an aesthetic success that won’t disappoint.
