Dragon Review: Macbeth – Yvonne Arnaud Theatre

Published on: 25 Apr, 2026
Updated on: 25 Apr, 2026

The witches cast their spell (Josie Morley, Deb Pugh, Livie Dalee

By Barbara Ford

Macbeth, presented by three northern English companies in collaboration, is a thrilling, physical and updated version of one of Shakespeare’s most famous tragedies.

Channelling Rupert Goold’s magisterial 2007 production with Patrick Stewart (filmed for BBC4 in 2010), it is set in a modern war zone, with the witches’ malign influence increased by their participating in the action throughout.

Flashes of light, sizzling wires, the sounds of explosions, crashes and bangs provide a continual reminder of the horror and the external danger, while the Macbeths provide the internal threat.

an exciting and well-adapted version of a great play

In this production by Hull Truck Theatre, Octagon Theatre Bolton and Derby Theatre, director Mark Babych has changed Shakespeare’s text in a gratifyingly intelligent and respectful way, partly to accommodate his reduced cast – for example three Scots lairds (though the production also ignores the Scottish context) are rolled into one.

Malcolm thanks Ross for his advice (Caywan Coates, Benjamin Wilson)

In some perhaps more questionable cases, such as having Lady Macbeth sympathise with Lady MacDuff, or having witches appear as servants or messengers, his changes round out a character or amplify a theme.

He modernises some minor points, such as replacing “farmer” and “equivocator” in the Porter’s drunken speech (allusions to the notorious 1606 conspiracy trial of a Jesuit involved in the Gunpowder Plot) with “looter” and “butcher” (allusions to war crimes and profiteering).

All this, plus the deletion of lines here and there simplifies and shortens the play for the benefit of those to whom it is new, such as the many schoolchildren in the audience.

Then, in some cases, Babych makes changes to have the text match what you see – if only other modernisers of classic works would do the same! He has characters speak of their “blades” instead of “swords”, because being modern soldiers they have knives, not swords, he deletes the reference to the witches’ beards, since his witches are beardless.

Macbeth has just murdered Duncan (Oliver Alvin-Wilson)

Of course, he is still hamstrung when it comes to Lady Macbeth’s raven croaking “the fatal entrance of Duncan under my battlements” given that the speaker lives in a modern bunker – he has the sensitivity not to interfere with the most famous lines. Similarly the witches’ cauldron: it was non-existent but it and its bubbling could not be wiped from the text.

As to the acting, Oliver Alvin-Wilson plays Macbeth with impressive psychological insight, helped by his impressive muscular physique. He starts as the stoical soldier, gratified by the Duncan’s recognition of his victory and then excited by the witches’ predictions of more and relaying them to his wife.

Then it becomes clear how much he relies on her and her ambition to bolster his willpower and help him follow through. The relationship between him and Lady Macbeth (Jo Mousley, also excellent) is well portrayed and this big strong man being propped up and petted by the small figure of the woman in order to commit a dreadful crime makes a powerful visual image.

I almost felt sorry for Lady Macbeth, having to work so hard continually to get him to “screw his courage to the sticking-place” and mastering her irritation when he forgets to leave the murder weapons behind.

Lady Macbeth comforts Macbeth after he has seen Banquo’s ghost (Jo Mousley, Oliver Alvin-Wilson)

The other men are all well-differentiated, bluff Banquo (Daniel Poyser) and energetic Macduff (Simon Trinder), while Malcolm (Cayvan Coates) develops from a reticent youth into a canny and effective leader. And Ross (Benjamin Wilson), his combination of roles making him a dependable, thoughtful and loyal soldier, won my prize for being the only cast member with clear diction – I caught every word he said.

The witches? They are far from the stereotype witch, dressed in scavenged rags, flapping like vultures and squawking incomprehensibly. Fortunately theirs is a very famous part of a very famous play, so the fact that they were almost incomprehensible did not hinder my understanding. They hurl around gruesome bags of body parts instead of the “eye newt and tongue of dog” etc.

One of them (Deb Pugh) appears at intervals throughout the play, as in Goold’s version, ratcheting up the tension. She shapeshifts from a nurse in the first scene, where she finishes off the wounded sergeant, then becoming a messenger, then a servant, always with a chilling smile on her face.

The excellent costume and set design are by Rachael Canning: she locates the centre of the action in an underground bunker, dresses the soldiers in modern uniforms, placing it all in any modern theatre of war.Everything is in gloomy colours, brown, grey, khaki, beige, thus highlighting Lady Macbeth’s red lipstick and red dress – the colour of fresh blood. The sound (Annie May Fletcher) and lighting (Sally Ferguson) underline the location and the action.

There are some clever directorial details, such as Banquo’s arm round his son and Macduff joining the banquet with his wife and children – all underlining the prophecy that childless Macbeth will not have heirs to the throne. And Macduff’s lengthy stunned silence when told of the murder of his family, before he can bring himself to ask about it.

All three participating companies, plus the Yvonne Arnaud itself, pride themselves on their community outreach and their inclusivity, all borne out by this production. The actors were of different ethnic backgrounds and abilities – good, but all would have one their places by their talent – even better.

They would all, with the one honourable exception mentioned, be even better actors and do even better justice to the playwright if they slowed down their speaking a little and articulated clearly.

The play is (as indeed it should be) a school set text, so the audience was full of somewhat noisy schoolchildren, to whom the Yvonne Arnaud generously gives a discount.

An exciting and well adapted version of a great play by a talented group of actors and creative people.

As also published in Seen & Heard International