Macbeth, a Review

MACBETH REVIEW 

(featuring David Tennant and Cush Jumbo)

WARNING - (SPOILER ALERT)

I went to watch Macbeth at the cinema (05/02/25), this version of Macbeth was directed by Max Webster and starred David Tennant & Cush Jumbo. I’ve watched other versions of Macbeth and read Macbeth before, but this version took a whole new turn on Macbeth. I found the simple staging and colour scheme worked perfectly for the adaption of this famous Shakespeare play.

Macbeth is a story of betrayal, loyalty, murder, a story that makes you question whether wealth and control over others is really, worth hurting innocent people. It’s a story about power thirsty individuals that will do shocking things for their own selfish desires.

The very first scene in the prologue, pulls you in immediately as Macbeth wipes blood off his body in complete silence, unlike most plays I have seen, this approach really pulled me into the play right away. At the start I was confused, but then that confusion turned into curiosity which had me hooked, I think the director made an excellent choice starting off this way, and David Tennant delivered it perfectly. This play has a simple setting with only a stage, a room behind the stage with a window that allows you to see the other characters, and a few props.

Right away I was hooked by the excellent acting skills where Macbeth (David Tennant) starts off with a prologue of what is to happen before immediately switching to the starting scene where Macbeth meets the three witches for the first time. As someone who isn’t particularly interested in Shakespeare and didn’t particularly like the Macbeth play that I watched previously, I really was pleasantly surprised by the interesting interpretation of the play and was immediately drawn in and invested in the story. In the first play of Macbeth I went to see, the emotions of the characters didn’t come across very well, I found all the props and bright outfits distracting, although the actors were funny, Macbeth isn’t meant to be a comedy. In the David Tennant version, the emotions of the characters were clear and easy to sympathize with. The outfits and stage set up were simple but perfect for the play, it drew you in and made you focus on what was going on, the actors were amazing at portraying their characters, and it stuck true to the themes of Macbeth.

I found that in other plays, although the stage setup and backgrounds worked well in setting the scene, it could sometimes take away and ruin the mood the actors are trying to create. I found it refreshingly different with this version of Macbeth, I expected the play to be boring because there wasn’t much going on, but that made it ten times better.

I found that without all the over the top colourful outfits and backgrounds, it was easier to connect with the characters, it was like the actors didn’t see you, everything seemed natural, their emotions, actions, and humour didn’t feel forced like they’re desperately trying to get you engaged, it felt like you were watching something real, unfold right in front of you, you could feel the emotions coming from the characters even through the screen.

One thing that I especially noticed, was the contrast of everyone wearing black apart from Lady Macbeth (Cush Jumbo) in white. I found this ironic as for me the white shows Lady Macbeth as the innocent feminine wife who can do no wrong, when she is the one who helped greatly in starting the whole mess by manipulating her husband Macbeth into killing the king.

I enjoyed the simplicity of everything, it somehow made things more emotional and dramatic not having to focus on something brightly coloured and distracting. I found the thing that made the biggest impact on me was the music. Having people singing live on stage, brought a different mood to the whole play, it made everything more intense, and I surprised myself with how interested I was in the story, it kept me wanting more after every scene. Every other time I have read or watched Macbeth I understood it on a surface level, but this version of Macbeth, made me question the meaning of the play and what the message behind it really is.

A few of my favourite parts in the play were when Macduff’s wife and children discover Macduff missing and turn to Lady Macbeth for help and reassurance but are soon murdered, thereafter. The acting in this scene is phenomenal, I could feel the emotion in the words and cries of the children and Lady Macduff. You could feel Lady Macduff’s fear, anger, and sadness as she was forced to watch her children die and was killed herself, that scene really stuck out, for me.

Another one of my favourite scenes was a more light-hearted one, it’s the scene where the porter arrives on stage. This scene in the play usually changes its lines and content to suit the audience, it’s almost like a small break for the main cast without having to break up the play and lose the effect of suspense. I found this part funny because the porter interacted with the audience and bought modern day humour from our timeline into the play.

Overall, this was an amazing play and experience, I would definitely recommend! Although I still don’t love Shakespeare, this adaption of Macbeth helped me better appreciate Shakespeare work. I would definitely go and see more Shakespearian plays, if they were directed by Max Webster and especially if David Tennant and Cush Jumbo were involved.

Summer Lawton

23/03/2025

Unfortunately, we weren’t allowed to take pictures at the screening of the play, instead I have included pictures and some other reviews of this play.

Credit for picture taken from - https://whatsonreading.com/venues/hexagon/whats-on/macbeth-david-tennant-cush-jumbo-film

28/03/2025 09:47

Credit for picture taken from - https://www.theguardian.com/stage/2023/dec/16/macbeth-review-david-tennant-thrills-in-this-high-concept-production

28/03/2025 09:50