Macbeth, by The Old Van, July 23, 2000

Macbeth by William Shakespeare, by The Old Van

at Daylesford Convent Gallery Chapel Fri-Sun until August 6, 2000

Reviewer: Kate Herbert

It was peculiarly appropriate staying at Abergeldie B & B before seeing Macbeth. Abergeldie is named after a Scottish Highlands castle.

Driving from there, through wintry verdant fields to Daylesford Convent to eat a lord's banquet prior to seeing Macbeth, all lent authenticity to the performance in the small and austere blond-wood chapel.

Director, Fiona Blair and The Old Van, have created an abridged and very atmospheric Macbeth with only six actors doubling in roles.

Wrapped in blankets, we huddle on hard wooden pews, as the bloody horrors of Macbeth (Richard Bligh) and Lady Macbeth (Jane Nolan) are revisited.

Macbeth, obsessed with the prophesies of the witches that he will be king, assassinates his admirable king, Duncan, (David Adamson). To maintain his newly-won kingship, he succumbs to his "vaulting ambition" and murders his kinsman, Banquo (Stewart Morritt) and the family of loyalist, Macduff (Adamson)

By this stage, Macbeth is "in blood stepped in so far" that he cannot go back.

This production strips away secondary characters to concentrate on the Macbeths. Apart from forcing Macbeth's murderous actions to occur a little to quickly, this emphasis is successful.

What is lacking is Macbeth's identity as a man of great military prowess. Bligh captures his desperation, weakness and decline very well, but not his strength.

Jane Nolan is superb as Lady Macbeth, whose overweening devotion to her husband's career drives her to suicide. Nolan portrays her as both vulnerable and domineering. Her sleep-walking speech is filled with despair and pain and her passionate demands to her husband to "screw your courage to the sticking place" are compelling.

Morritt's vocal and physical power make a bold and magnetic Banquo. Bagryana Popov is a fine Lady Macduff and a funny Porter. Adamson is kingly and composed as Duncan but needs to differentiate for Macduff.

The spiritual and mystical that pervade the space. Actors are entombed in the misty highland gloom of Rob Irwin's atmospheric lighting. They intone in a manner evocative of both pagan and Christian rites. Pin-lights enclosed in the witches' palms transform the hands into lanterns while candles spill eerie light across walls and a smoke machine spews fog into Birnam Wood.

Make a wintry weekend of it in Daylesford.

By Kate Herbert