The beauty and the curse of theatre is that each new production of a show brings something different — even when the story and characters are as well-trod as those of Shakespeare’s Macbeth. 

It can be a double-edged sword: a production can emphasize aspects of a play you already favor, or highlight things in a way you’ve never considered before; or, it can shift things around in a way that doesn’t quite jive with what drew you to the source material or other performances.

I’ll admit this take on Macbeth leans more toward the latter for me personally, though it’s by no means a bad production. The performances in particular stand out — an incredibly talented group of actors star, led by Ralph Fiennes and Indira Varma as Macbeth and Lady Macbeth. 

Most significantly for my own enjoyment of Macbeth, I felt disappointed in this production’s de-emphasis on the play’s supernatural elements. The interplay between the supernatural, madness, and self-fulfilling prophecies has always drawn me to Macbeth among Shakespeare’s tragedies. That horror of inevitability that makes you spiral out of control… It feels like there’s a lot less of this to be had here, which made the production feel a little more bland to me.

Similarly, I found the stark and simplistic set pieces a bit too austere for my tastes. They’re meant to fit with the production’s heavy modern war imagery – tied to the costuming of military fatigues – so I do understand the vision of the set designer. Again, it just seemed like the set wasn’t adding to the production in the way I would have liked.

(To be completely fair, I watched the recording of the play that will debut in cinemas; a theatrical production always loses a bit in the transition to screen. I have a feeling the drama of the large, custom-built set pieces would have a different impact on me had I been sitting there among them.)

Still, while the vision of this particular production of Macbeth may not be my favorite, there’s no denying the performance power on stage here. That alone makes it worth watching.

Tony and BAFTA winner Fiennes undoubtedly commands the stage; the man is practically built for Shakespeare. Beyond just delivering a killer soliloquy (ha!), Fiennes imbues Macbeth with a special sort of charm and humanity; I think I felt more sympathy for Fiennes’ Macbeth than any other version of the character. There’s even a few moments where Fiennes brings some humor to the role – unexpected, but very welcome.    

Opposite Fiennes, Olivier winner Varma provides a charming complementary performance as Lady Macbeth. One thing I particularly enjoyed about the Fiennes-Varma duo in playing the Macbeths is that they did genuinely feel like a married couple. It felt like there was love there between these Macbeths, amidst all the manipulation and madness and monarch-slaying.

Outside of Fiennes and Varma, the extended cast of Macbeth also deliver equally impressive performances. Though my personal preferences for the production of Macbeth don’t fully fit with this particular iteration, I’d still easily recommend it to anyone looking to see live Shakespeare. The caliber of the actors completely makes it worth a watch.

About Macbeth at Dock X

This production of William Shakespeare’s Macbeth was filmed live at Dock X in London for cinematic release. Following its run in London, Liverpool, and Edinburgh, the production drew sell out crowds, seen by an audience of over 100,000 people across more than 100 performances. Currently, the production is wrapping up a sold-out run in Washington D.C., with the final curtain set for May 5.

Macbeth comes from director Simon Godwin, with sets and costumes designed by Frankie Bradshaw.

Trafalgar Releasing, in partnership with Wessex Grove and Underbelly, will debut the filmed play in movie theaters as a special release on May 2 and May 5. You can get tickets now at MacbethInCinemas.com.