REVIEW by Mary Couzens
Community 20 Theatre Company presents William Shakespeare's
Macbeth
Directed by Tarek Iskander Theatro Technis – Camden
This production of Macbeth features all the familiar lines of Shakespeare's tragedy, along with some imaginative theatrical nuances and devices, courtesy of the vision of its director- Tarek Iskander. For example, instead of three witches providing smoke and mirrors, one versatile actress does the honours, and, interestingly, in the process, seems to alternate between aspects of memory, temptation, and consequences yet hanging in the balance. In the Bard's time omens and signs would have been duly noted, and similarly, as this classic play begins, Macbeth, strongly played by Stephen Eliot McDonald, receives a prophecy from wood nymph/witch portrayed by talented actress Nathalie Pownall, as she waylays him on his weary way home from battle, alongside of his trusted friend Banquo, convincingly portrayed by Graham Price. A softened, somewhat ethereal characterisation of Lady Macbeth offered by capable actress Cecilia Colby caused speculation at times whether contemporary leanings woven within the threads of this production could have been expanded upon. However, Titus Adam imbues his classic portrayal of Duncan with just the right combination of kingly majesty and trusting faith to convince the audience that he is, indeed vulnerable. Guy Moore, as MacDuff, acts out his crucial role with strong resignation escalating into the determined revenge appropriate to his character's shifting perspectives.
Within this productions large ensemble cast however, there are many effective performances apart from those already mentioned, most notably, amongst them - Matt Minto as Ross, and John Glynn as Malcolm, both of whom added much to the high calibre of the production. Esin Harvey also offered strong support in triple roles, especially during her turn as Lady MacDuff, when she shared a moving scene with Tom Hallagartan, whose name, the gifted young actor playing her son. Christophoros Panoutsos ably handled his three roles, but his strongest support was offered when he made the most of his role as a doctor. Able support was also offered by the performances of Stephen Cheriton as Lennox, and Katrina Cooke as Macbeth's Servant. Although the costuming contained nuances apropos to the classic nature of Shakespeare's play, Wellington boots, and chef's aprons on the servants, amongst other touches, lent an air of elapsed time to the proceedings, and some of the scenes which almost seem to fade into one another in the text itself and were traditionally linked without division for performance, receive a somewhat more filmic treatment here, with the aide of rhythmically timed lighting and sound, which not only serve to separate the themes of the individual scenes, but also tend to highlight them as well. This rather transitory approach seemed to provide scenic postcards through which to view the play, at times nodding to our culture laden society in the process. As director Tarek Iskander, and many others before him have claimed, Macbeth is a notoriously hard play to stage. Yet within the rather uninspiring landscape of Theatro Technis, he, along with his hard-working cast and crew, manages to face up to those challenges yielding a result that belies the fact that this production marks his directorial debut. Those of you who complain about the high cost of theatre tickets should lend your support to Community 20's production of William Shakespeare's Macbeth before their estimated worth escalates beyond the limitations of your collective cultural purses. Theatro Technis 26 Crowndale Road London NW1 ITT
Tues. February 21 – Sat. March 18 - 7:30 Matinees March 1 st , 7 th and 16 th at 2 pm
Box Office - 0207 387 6617
Adults £10, Concessions £8 Under 16's - £5.00
For more information about the company go to www.community20.com To contact anyone from the production, e-mail: contact@community20.com To read an interview with Macbeth's director Tarek Iskander, see www.extraextra.org And click on the link on the left of our homepage EXTRA! EXTRA! www.extraextra.org The only online theatrical newsletter for and by its readers To join our free mailing list contact jcextras@aol.com#
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