Macbeth at Covent Garden's Iris Theatre

10th Anniversary production of Macbeth and Front of house experience (21 June - 29 July 2017)

Macbeth at Covent Garden's Iris Theatre

As someone who is also naturally inspired by film, arts, and media, I work as a front-of-house Iris Theatre volunteer, where I'm required to usher audiences, assist with queries, box office and promotion, and the delivery of performances. Currently, I'm volunteering in the St Paul's Actors Church Summer Macbeth show - the theatre group's intensely passionate adaptation of William Shakespeare's psychological tragedy.

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The dark mournful tragedy tells the story of the respected Scottish general and King Macbeth. With the spiritual support of the prophetic witches (personified as bugs and symbols of decay and corruption in the 2017 Iris Theatre adaptation) and the sadistic Lady Macbeth (performed amazingly by Mogali Masuku), we follow Macbeth's murderous intent to seize the throne. It is a bloodbath of insanity, destruction, and arrogance.

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Complete with dark surreal imagery, we see an original colourful interpretation of the usually grim Shakespeare play. The Iris Theatre delivers a newly interactive West End theatre environment as we move with the scenes, absorbed in the enigmatic scene changes and production. Following the spiritual Scottish landscape of Macbeth, personified beautifully by the set design of Alice Channon, we are completely overwhelmed by the corrupting power of unchecked ambition, tyranny, clouded hallucinations, and blood.

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We witness the oppressive mental landscape of Macbeth (directed by Daniel Winder). Consumed by ambition, pride, and self-deprecation, David Hywel Baynes's strikingly emotive performance takes a turn from valour to something irrevocably destructive and fevered. He embraces the tragic tension within Macbeth's character, convincingly succumbing to despair and senselessness. It's really incredible. We are immersed in his violence, his air of ferocity and fatal confidence. Plagued by his own wrongdoings, he separates himself entirely from morality and as he wins in combat, he also falls. David's performance is amazingly passionate and menacing, a grand follow-up from his Offie-nominated performance in 2014′s Iris production of Richard III.


Photo credit to Hannah Barton & Nick Rutter

My Voicemag collaboration is shared on the following link: https://iristheatre.wordpress.com/2017/07/24/voicemag-collaboration/

Author

Joanna Bailey

Joanna Bailey Local Reporter

I'm a young freelance magazine journalist, artist and student based in Dartford. When time allows, you'll catch me taking an obsessive number of photos, sketching an abstract digital art portrait or watching an old bucket-listed film. When I'm not blogging, I'm admiring an underrated art piece somewhere or immersed in a classic play or novel.

Check out my Gold Arts Award portfolio here:

https://www.tumblr.com/blog/goldartsaward8

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2 Comments

  • Luke Taylor

    On 19 July 2017, 10:31 Luke Taylor Contributor commented:

    Macbeth is a classic Shakespeare tale. Congrats for 10 years of production!

  • Joanna Bailey

    On 23 July 2017, 11:57 Joanna Bailey Local Reporter commented:

    Thanks, Luke. If you can make it between now and the 29th I would definitely recommend it. It's an amazing show (http://iristheatre.com/) :)

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