Review: THE TRAGEDIE OF MACBETH at Chandler Studio Theatre
"Let the frame of things disjoint, both the worlds suffer…"
Staged by the MA Classical and Contemporary Text students at the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland, Marc Silberschatz’s adaptation of The Tragedie of Macbeth is certainly ambitious. The cast is talented and committed, packing the production with conceptual promise... even if it occasionally gets overwhelmed by its high energy.
The production leans hard into the theory that the Macbeths are grieving a miscarriage, using a haunting empty crib onstage as a constant reminder of their trauma. It’s a powerful, dark framing device that gives their escalating desperation a lot of emotional weight. As Macbeth and Lady Macbeth, Kirsty Pickering and Viola Sauter bring an impressive, high-octane energy to the stage. However, the sheer intensity of their performances sometimes pushes the production into relentless shouting. By playing Lady Macbeth with a high level of mania right from the opening scene, Sauter delivers a striking performance but leaves herself with less room to show the character's tragic, gradual descent into madness. A more measured, grounded approach in these moments would have let the actors' natural talent and the nuance of the text shine through even more.
That said, the ensemble absolutely nails the production's psychological horror elements. The Banquo nightmare sequence, featuring a standout performance by František Heřmánek, is a total triumph. The inclusion of cannibalism is a visceral, effective choice that brilliantly captures Macbeth’s inner turmoil and consuming guilt. To break up the oppressive gloom, Jean Christian Barry pops up as a standout tackling multiple roles with a relaxing, charismatic, and humorous presence. In general, they are incredible to watch and bring a much-needed breath of fresh air to the tragedy.
Visually, the staging choices are a bit harder to place in context, opting for a unique mashup of costumes suggesting Crucible-era pilgrims, modern jeans, suspenders, and cow fur. I'm sure there was an intellectual justification for this, but I completely missed it. Fortunately, the sound design grounds the atmosphere beautifully; an onstage cellist provides a simple, elegant, and incredibly effective soundtrack that builds tension and underscores the tragedy wonderfully.
"Better be with the dead," indeed. While this Macbeth occasionally loses its footing in its search for high-stakes intensity, you can't deny the immense potential of this RCS cohort. It’s an unflinching, passionate take on grief that proves these young actors have an exciting future ahead of them.
The Tragedie of Macbeth was at the Chandler Studio Theatre until the 17th of July.
Photo: Hope Holmes
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