REVIEW - Macbeth, Dickens Theatre Company, Grantham Guildhall Arts Centre, 6th & 7th March 2025 - *****
- theatrereviews
- Mar 7
- 2 min read
Dickens Theatre Company, founded in 2015, is a company specialising in optimized classics, who are on something of a winning streak with their ‘Revision on Tour’ annual series of GCSE-orientated titles that pack a punch. Their production of Macbeth is clearly pitched towards schools (“Stick that in your essay!” merrily quips the Chorus, at one point) but the entertainment and precision in performance makes this theatrical outing an accessible, cut-throat, full-throttle appreciation of Shakespeare’s shortest tragedy.
It's been made even shorter by a streamlined adaptation by artistic director, Ryan Phillpot. Truncated to sit nicely within a two-hour running time (including interval), yes, there may be some obvious omissions for the purists, however, that is not the point of DTCo. All the ‘meat’ is still here, dished up with vibrancy and piquancy. The classic speeches, major plot-points and the grisly murders are all venomously depicted; at this afternoon’s performance, the theatre-full of pupils was deadly silent during the powerful monologues, while the swift but well-devised moments of comedy - most effective during the Chorus’ ‘recapping’ through direct address, which embellished rather than overbaked the narrative – brought forth some knowing smiles.
The hardworking cast of six multirole with fervour and with panache. Sam Oakes is the busiest, covering the Chorus, Ross, the Porter, a Witch and Seyton. He builds a bridge of trust with the audience, ‘lightening up’ the story and indeed, the overall play. Rob Wolfe’s and Hannah Morley’s performances as the Macbeths are fittingly steely and intense, Giles Malcolm brings both a heroic and haunting portrayal as Banquo, Becky Dueck’s gigglesome witch is well-contrasted with her understated performance as Malcolm, while Ryan Philpott arguably shows the greatest variation with his triple roles, each exuding a sense of dogged stoicism.
Although this is a concertinaed composition, DTCo’s Macbeth maintains all the emotional clout you’d want from an unabridged version, and delivers it with sheer infectious effervescence. With six entrance/exit points, the set itself, made up of three standalone stone-effect walls and two archways, aids the free-flowing direction. Lighting is sparse but evocative, as is the sound design, with its knelling bells, battleground cries and the beating of war drums. The production is a must, not only for GCSE students in the midst of their studying, but for anyone who has a passing interest and wishes a more merciful approach to the Bard’s work. For the rest, this particular version acts as a great, potted reminder of just how visceral and transcendent Shakespeare’s work can be.
Macbeth is being performed at the Guildhall Arts Centre in Grantham, Thursday 6th - Friday 7th March 2025, and nationwide. Please click on the link below to buy tickets for the Grantham performance.
For more information about the current tours from Dickens Theatre Company, please click on the link below.
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