Watch a retelling of Shakespeare’s Macbeth like you’ve never seen before at Southwark Playhouse this spring. Following last year’s successful Edinburgh Festival run, Flabbergast Theatre are bringing their critically-acclaimed The Tragedy of Macbeth to the London stage for a four-week run.
So, what can you expect from Flabbergast’s take on this classic tale of greed and guilt? With a respectful approach to the original text, their magical and lucid interpretation brings this blood-soaked tragedy to life.
But instead of stoic thespians treading the boards in kilts and crowns there’s a stripped back set and an aesthetically arresting design; with a tightknit ensemble of actors performing a dark and visceral manifestation of the work’s essence and underlaying themes. Bringing their background of puppetry and physical theatre into play, you can expect an altogether different vision of Macbeth.
It’s Flabbergast first text-based production and it’s supported by exhilarating live music to produce a provocative and enjoyably accessible show. The beautifully performed music and vocal work combine to create a powerful live soundscape, and an atmosphere that both compliments and juxtaposes the action.
Macbeth and modern society
Flabbergast presents an instinctive interpretation of Shakespeare’s most wretched tragedy, working to draw out the parallels with modern society. At its heart, the dominant recurring theme and fundamental narrative that powers The Tragedy of Macbeth is the masculine fear of feminine power. And in this sense, the play is as pertinent today as it’s ever been.
The notion that gender is a social construct, is never more clear than during Lady Macbeth’s ‘unsex me here’ soliloquy, as she fights to set aside her feminine role, lest it hinder her dark ambitions. And the witches – who can appear as crones or maids – embody the power which threatened the patriarchal establishment.
It doesn’t matter whether you’re a regular theatregoer or not, as Flabbergast’s Shakespeare is for everyone. Much like these classic plays were intended to be. For more quirky theatre, click this way!
When: On until 8th April 2023 at 7.30pm (3pm matinee shows on Tuesdays and Saturdays)
Where: Southwark Playhouse, 77-85 Newington Causeway, London SE1 6BD
£: Tickets cost £16 – £25.50
More info: southwarkplayhouse.co.uk
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