Wednesday, July 18, 2012

‘MacBeth in Scots’ by William Shakespeare, translated by Robin Lorimer

18 July 2012


Later on Saturday evening the Courtyard Theatre hosted 'MacBeth in Scots', translated from Shakespeare by Robin Lorimer and performed by Edinburgh Theatre Arts as part of the RSC Open Stages National Showcase. From the start we knew we were in safe hands: this was clearly an experienced and confident amateur theatre group. The large cast was packed with talented actors and the staging, costumes and set design were subtle and clever. It was fascinating to spot the most famous lines of the play in slightly unfamiliar form in their Scots versions and I had no difficulty in following the proceedings. Danny Farrimond as MacBeth and Edith Peers as Lady MacBeth conveyed the emotional journeys of the characters with skill and empathy, though Colin McPherson's Janitor almost stole the show in a great comic interlude amidst the tragedy. Edinburgh Theatre Arts will be performing 'MacBeth in Scots' from 6 to 18 August at St Ninian's Hall, Edinburgh, as part of the Edinburgh Festival Fringe.

Labels: , ,

1 Comments:

At 2:45 pm, Blogger susan.wales said...

The staging was simple and effective, the diction was totally clear and audible, the acting was superb and the directing inspired.
The group used the large thrust stage to great advantage and had the audience spellbound.
This version had been cut drastically from their 'normal' production (which they'll perform in the Fringe) but lost nothing by it.
As the RSC publicity had it "Ordinary people, extraordinary performances"

 

Post a Comment

<< Home