Max and Beth

A modern take on Shakespeare’s Macbeth, Max and Beth eclectically fuses dance, rap and contemporary rhyme in a powerful portrayal of violent street culture and struggling consciences. It is successful exactly because it has been created by those closely connected with that environment and executed through mediums they relate to.

Written entirely in modern rhyme by British Arab rapper Lowkey, it is performed by a teenage collective of MCs and breakers from youth outreach company YPT Urban Arts. The outcome is an impressively apt representation of the effects of a gang and crime culture on the process of growing up. Macbeth provides perfect material for updating. Ever topical, the play confronts the spiralling problem of violence amongst society’s most susceptible members; and examines its origins. Depicting a world that lacks moral role models and readily accelerates the transition from child to adult, the play demonstrates the difficulty in making the right choices and resisting peer pressure.

Despite unpolished choreography, movement is highly expressive and integral to the structure of Max and Beth. Energetic performances not only illustrate the physicality of fight scenes and growing tensions between characters, but the inner turmoil Max and Beth experience as they descend into madness. Inevitably, the performers’ inexperience and range of ability is revealed as awkward moments of character interaction remind the onlooker that they are very much watching a play.

This, however, does not detract from its achievement of opening up theatre and making it relevant to young audiences and performers from socially and culturally diverse backgrounds.