Macbeth

A couple of weeks ago I pondered whether a production of Macbeth could ever overcome the audience's familiarity with the spell-casting rhymes of the three witches. An invitation to check out Mull Theatre's version swiftly followed, and indeed this inventive production does just that.

Reflected in two mirrors, Sarah Haworth plays all three weird sisters as a single deranged crone, who knowing sings 'Double, double...' like a twisted nursery rhyme, and oversees the consequences of her predictions like a more devilish version of Puck.

Alicia Hendrick's excellent set, originally designed for the tiny stage of Mull Little Theatre, comprises a multi-purpose wooden structure with two sets of double doors. Scenes are switched quickly and the mirrors are put to effective later use when Lady Macbeth struggles to escape from herself.

Comparisons with the Lyceum's poorly-received production are difficult to avoid; essentially, director Alasdair McCrone gets right most of the elements that Lucy Pitman-Wallace got wrong, and while Alan Steele doesn't quite seem to get under Macbeth's skin ' the pace of the production perhaps allowing him insufficient breathing space ' Beth Marshall makes a suitably headstrong Lady Macbeth and Paul Cunningham is impressive as Duncan and MacDuff.

The initially restless high school students who packed Motherwell Theatre were quick to snigger at early scenes of weirdness as well as such later lines as 'We were carousing till the second cock' (who could blame them?) but by the time the body count had begun to spiral out of control they were captivated.