EDINBURGH 2026: Review: SMASHING SHAKESPEARE: BRAVE MACBETH, Assembly
Smashing Shakespeare runs at Edfringe until August 30
Smashing Shakespeare: Brave Macbeth is a fast-paced, accessible and modern retelling of Macbeth. Presented by Captivate Theatre, this is a little bit of panto and a whole lot of fun.
Littered with pop culture references and fun musical theatre numbers, this excellent cast takes us from the witches gathered around their cauldron to Macbeth learning about his future. He is to be the Thane of Cawdor, and then King.
Macbeth (Scott Binnie) tells his wife about the prophecy and she’s extremely attracted to the idea of being Queen. She insists that the only way to fulfil it is for him to kill King Duncan and take the crown as his own. Hannah Buyers gives a wonderful panto villain-esque performance as Lady M. Binnie is a sincere and sympathetic Macbeth who is no match for his wife’s ambition.
It’s accessible storytelling for the young ‘uns but there’s a lot for adults too. It leans into some of the deaths in a comical manner which goes down well with everyone. The cast are clearly having a ball and the energy is excellent, especially for 10.45 am.
The songs are super catchy and great fun. The hour-long runtime flies by in a whirlwind of silliness which still manages to convey an accurate and accessible portrayal of Shakespeare’s classic.
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