By Darby Turnbull
In a brief reprieve from Naarm’s recent heatwave; the weather turned pleasantly crisp for Friday night’s performance of Macbeth with overcast skies and some moderate wind; the ambience could not have been more ideal for transposing rural, medieval Scotland to a bougie park in the middle of a major Australian city.
For those looking for seasonal outdoor entertainment mostly directed at adults that young people can still enjoy, the Australian Shakespeare Company’s revival of their 2021 production is a welcome respite from more panto inspired takes on Shakespeare’s comedies that usually make up the repertoire of outdoor productions. Not that this Macbeth doesn’t go broad and contain many kitschy delights, it does but modulates to provide an accessible experience for audiences navigating different sight lines, aural experiences and distractions. The design and the performances stay (to my eye) just on the right side of camp.
Shakespeare and his company certainly understood the power of excess to bring a sense of flair to the occasion. Karla Erenbots’ costumes display some arch allusions to the dark ages with strategic fur pieces and plenty of form fitting pants and transparent chainmail which can’t help but elevate the proceedings.
Glenn Elston’s production is solid, straight down the middle entertainment and the company maintains a consistent tone with strong, focused performances modulated well to fit the surroundings. I especially admired their fortitude when some disruptive men heard the performance from a distance and decided to mock them during a key emotional moment.
Hugh Sexton in the title role brings a brawny machismo to the character whose introspection comes as an unpleasant intrusion to his hitherto unexamined existence as a loyal follower and introducing complex emotion into himself leads to a literal realignment of his body and psyche. Nicole Nabout’s Lady Macbeth has great bullish ‘pick me girl’ energy, plowing through most of her scenes and speeches with impetuous relish. They each wring out some welcome humour to their characters who aren’t exactly renowned for being wits, it’s a pleasing acknowledgment of the morbid absurdity of their situation. They bring the roles down to earth when they can sometimes become overwhelmed by their legacy.
The rest of the company provides some very effective internal world building. Dion Mills as a pompous, preening Duncan. Anna Burgess brings a stoic nobility to his son Malcolm, in contrast to his father, Burgess imbues him with a cunning and resourcefulness that inspires a great deal of confidence.
Elizabeth Brennan and Jackson McGovern make harrowing impacts in the second half of the play as the tragic Macduffs. Brennan only has one scene but weaves a rich, full life for Lady Macduff full of good sense, wry humour and tenderness that makes her senseless murder truly sting. McGovern very movingly humanises Macduff’s internal conflict between masculine, soldierly repression and the sheer emotional carnage wrought by his family’s slaughter. His climactic fight with Sexton’s Macbeth is masterfully choreographed and performed incorporating necessary emotional catharsis with impressive (to the civilian eyes) battle manoeuvres.
This Macbeth makes for a pleasant, uncomplicated alfresco experience. As someone with a strong internal (and sometimes vocal) bias to spending more than half an hour in the park and has historically struggled with outdoor theatre, being able to overcome my expected discomfort to enjoy the ambience and engage with the performance without cynicism was the greatest perk of all.
Image: ben Fon
