Morwax's Macbeth and Lady Macbeth keep bloody tragedy pounding forward

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Wednesday, 24 January 2007

Macbeth murders King Duncan and Galway's Morwax Theatre Company attack 'Macbeth' with a certain gusto in their execution of Shakespeare's short and bloody tragedy at The Town Hall Theatre.

The Scottish warrior 'o'er leaps' himself in his desire to gain what he believes is his rightful position in society. He finds out that being enticed across a Rubicon of moral behaviour, he cannot turn back, 'blood will have blood' and murder follows murder. Plenty of gore, guts and 'hurly-burly' for a director and his cast to wallow in.

In his determination to entertain at the same time as educate, director Peadar de Burca does tend to sacrifice sense for sensation. This 'sound and fury' may keep a youthful audience's attention, but here dramatic devices are used too often for their impact rather than for elucidation of the text. Consequently there are some confusingly extraneous effects. However, Duncan Lecroix in the title role and Aimee Levey as his trouble and strife keep the show pounding forward. Patrick McEmeaney gives a promising performance as Malcolm.

The most distinctive aspect of this production is De Burca's decision to weave his sinuous witches throughout the action of the play. Their presence marks the play's spell-like language each time it occurs and emphasises the over-arching evil that must dominate the play. It is a risky decision, since it must also be clear that Macbeth's actions ultimately arise primarily from his own instigation rather than by some external malignant influence, but it is one that works.

'T'were well it were done quickly' and the show is sensibly made to fit within two hours by generally judicious abridging. It is a roughly honest version of the original, although in addition to the cuts, the theatre's acoustic also swallows some rather crucial lines.

Morwax craftily eye the chasm in the market: a large number of eager second-level students anxious to 'catch the nearest way' to great grades. However, despite the prospect of a handsome haul (at least 100,000 Junior and Leaving Cert. students will study Shakespeare this year) putting on the classics is difficult and very expensive. Shakespeare has to be profoundly rehearsed and this makes enormous demands of its actors and director. Morwax receives no public funding and their production demonstrates how the company is forced to perform on a shoestring. It must be a struggle.

When Leaving Certificate and Junior Certificate exam questions can require examinees to 'comment on a production they have seen', an enlightened Department of Education might consort with the Arts Council and find a way of funding this part of their syllabus that seems to dictate that pupils attend live theatre. If this happened, perhaps companies with professional aspirations, such as Morwax, could find a way to apply for much needed financial help or expertise. Shakespeare might then be discovered to have a bit more life-blood left in him and the future might lend him an audience beyond those who are merely given half a day off school and dragooned into the theatre by a teacher keen to 'finish-off Macbeth'.

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