13/07/11…Macbeth in the open air – a review – By Nicholas Newman
NICHOLAS Newman, a long-time contributor and friend of ThameNews.Net, went to see the Oxford Theatre Guild?s performance of Macbeth at Trinity College gardens last night and felt moved to send us this review:
LAST night?s Oxford?s Theatre Guild?s performance of Macbeth combined full-on percussive bashing of swords and Shakespeare?s magical language to make this this two and a half hour performance simply come alive!
Macbeth, played with passion by Peter Malin, is the man who would be King of Scotland, who struggles with ambition, doubt and his conscience as he takes the treacherous path to kill King Duncan and many of his family and supporters.
Oddly enough, the machinations depicted in the play reminded me of recent political coups in distant lands.
The setting the play in Trinity college gardens was simply magical and much appreciated by the audience was the care Oxford Theatre Guild had taken in providing blankets and hot drinks to keep out the summer evening chill.
The direction by James Reilly and Jessica Welch was exceptional; the acting was superb and the work of the backstage team simply excellent. I especially appreciated the makeup design by Becky Brown, and the dripping blood by Cherry Mosteshar – it looked very realistic!
Whether you love Shakespeare or tempted to try it for the first time, this production is certainly something to see!
The play runs until July, 22, 2011
www.trinity.ox.ac.uk/
www.oxfordtheatreguild.com
Outdoor summer Shakespeare Macbeth12-22 July
