Stage: Fair is foul and foul is fair

FLABBERGAST THEATRE'S 
The Tragedy of Macbeth
by William Shakespeare
with Henry Maynard, Briony O'Callaghan, Simon Gleave, Daniel Chrisostomou, Vyte Garriga, Paulina Krzeczkowska, Dale Wylde, Kyll Anthony Thomas Cole
director/designer Henry Maynard
music Adam Clifford
Southwark Playhouse Borough • 14.Mar-8.Apr.23

Like an assault on the senses, Flabbergast takes on Shakespeare with a high-volume storm of mud and blood. It's a purely visceral production that will engage fans of the Scottish play with its earthy sensibilities and quirky touches. On the other hand, those unfamiliar with the material will find it almost impossible to follow, as the dialog is extremely difficult to hear and the narrative is thoroughly blurred by the on-stage chaos.

This is Shakespeare's familiar story of ambition and paranoia, as Macbeth (played by company founder Maynard) and his power-hungry lady wife (O'Callaghan) conspire to kill King Duncan (Chrisostomou). Macbeth assumes the throne, but the couple is consumed with fear that someone will try to take them down. They proceed to kill those closest to them in an attempt to protect their rule, but this sparks a civil war. 

All of this takes place in a whirl of activity on the floor of the theatre, surrounded on three sides by the audience. The violence is intense, including against children (who are evocatively performed using puppetry), with wine and ink spilled in bloody puddles. Silly comical interludes emerge out of nowhere, with performers mugging playfully at the audience before diving back into the epic tale of betrayal and murder.

Wearing floor-length skirts and increasingly grubby attire, each actor inhabits multiple roles, and since it's so difficult to hear the dialog, this makes it even trickier to keep track of characters and plot-lines. As does the repeated technique of cast members speaking words in unison, which sounds cool but is impenetrable. Even so, the surge of energy and passion is vividly felt, and there are some genuinely wrenching moments along the way, such as when Macduff (also Chrisostomou) learns that his wife (a soulful Krzeczkowska) and children have been killed on Macbeth's orders.

Obviously, this play has real power, and has resonated strongly for centuries as it grapples with enormous themes. The three witches that drive the action are vividly rendered here by the cast's three actress, with shrieking voices that chill the soul. And there are plenty of other loud screams, bangs, thuds, raucous songs and lively choreography to keep things sparking. None of this is terribly original, but it looks great. Although by eliminating the softer textures, it feels like little more than sound and fury.

For details, visit SOUTHWARK PLAYHOUSE >

photos by Michael Lynch • 16.Mar.23

Stage: Your wit's too hot, it speeds too fast

Love’s Labour’s Lost
by William Shakespeare
dir Nicky Diss; musical dir David Knight
with Adam Courting, Charlotte Worthing, Grace Kelly Miller, Stuart Turner
Open Bar at Fuller's Pub Gardens • 12.Jul-18.Aug.21

Shakespeare's offbeat romantic comedy is given a lively farcical touch by the Open Bar Theatre Company, as four intrepid performers take on a rather large number of characters with the help of an audience member and two balloon-head puppets. Stir in a few songs and lots of physical mayhem, and it's a perfect show for a pub garden on a summer evening. It's also remains thoroughly enjoyable even in stretches when the wordy dialog becomes impenetrable. As the actors remind us, this is show features Shakespeare's longest word, longest speech and longest scene.

The plot is a knotted mess, as the King of Navarre swears an oath with his three friends to devote all their energies to their studies for three years. This includes avoiding all women. Of course, the moment they all take their vows, the Princess of France arrives with three beautiful ladies in waiting. And the four men set out to secretly woo one woman each. Meanwhile, the Spaniard Don Adriano has his own convoluted romantic entanglement with the country wench Jacquenetta. What follows involves misdelivered letters, concealed identities and lots of subterfuge.

With just four actors playing at least three roles each, it's fairly impossible to keep up with the messy plot threads, so the best bet is to order some food and drink from the pub and just sit back and enjoy the silliness. These four actors are enormously charming and seriously skilled, adopting quick costume changes along with full-on physicality to create each character, all while singing, dancing and literally running in circles for a couple of hours. Each one engages hilariously with audience members and throws in improvised asides that add current commentary as well as in-the-moment gags.

With the actors gleefully swapping genders along with their costumes, this production is able to offer a gently queer spin on Shakespeare's playful exploration of masculinity. And the amusingly chaotic plot and surprisingly thoughtful ending add a thematic kick about the dangers of indulging in fantasies or rushing into promises that can never be kept. So even when the play itself isn't particularly funny, Open Bar succeeds in its mission to keep the audience laughing, and often happily sighing as well.

Open Bar also has a production of As You Like It touring in Fuller's pubs. For full information about both shows: SHAKESPEARE IN THE GARDEN >

Charlotte Worthing, Adam Courting, Grace Kelly Miller and Stuart Turner
Photos by lhphotoshots