Review: Macbeth, RIFT at Balfron Tower

“Macbeth does murder sleep”

Immersive schimmersive. In the creation of ever-more inventive ways of approaching familiar stories, theatre companies are consistently pushing the boundaries of what makes a theatrical experience and the set-up for RIFT’s 12-hour Macbeth complete with sleepover is certainly eye-catching. The reality though is quite something else – if sharing a dorm with strangers doesn’t appeal, you can pretty much leave at 1am without missing too much, and the practicalities of dividing the audience into three small groups each with their own Macbeth and Lady M stultifies the pace rather than invigorating the show. 

There’s cleverness to be sure, moments where the intimacy really sparks something thrilling whether in the subterranean meeting with the witches, guns being brandished in our faces, being an actual part of the feast that Banquo interrupts so spookily. But equally there’s a hella lot of waiting around, film work that falls flat, too much visible logistics work that saps the theatricality of the experience and snaps us out of the mindset that is needed to make such an endurance test fly. I’d say this production was a good idea but largely an unfeasible one, keeping you up for the wrong reasons. 

Running time: 12 hours (or 5 hours if you’re not up for the sleepover)
Booking until 16th August

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