Macbeth (an undoing) @ Royal Lyceum, Edinburgh

The stage is bare, the auditorium dark. A solitary figure walks across the boards and addresses the audience directly. A play within a play. “So you’ve come for blood, yes?”

Macbeth (an undoing), written and directed by Zinnie Harris, is a powerful and unnerving take on Shakespeare’s cursed Scottish play. While the essence of Macbeth remains – the three witches make their premonition, the Macbeths become bloodthirsty for the power they were promised, and the king is swiftly dispensed with – the thread of the story is tugged in new directions as the female characters occupy centre stage. 

These fragmentations are entirely compelling and thrilling as we no longer know the destination of the well-trodden tale. “This isn’t how this scene is meant to happen,” implores Lady Macbeth, played by the exceptional Nicole Cooper. Unhinged from the certainty of the text, we cling instead to Harris’ gripping dialogue as Lady Macbeth takes control. While she assumes the management of royal paperwork and castle staff, her husband takes refuge in his room, unable to sleep and continually washing his bloodied hands. However, the play marches on and Lady Macbeth finds that each of her stark white garments is bloodied with her guilt.

Equally compelling is Liz Kettle as Carlin, who shifts between the role of narrator, servant, and witch. She passes judgement and sweeps away the mess left behind by the decadent royal parties, offering no glimpse of reassurance as the knock, knock, knocking echoes around the castle walls and the birds fall silent. Tom Piper’s set design is stark but effectively so, featuring only mirrored dividers, a handful of chairs, and a tap, which runs with water or blood, depending on the hand turning it.  

Overall, Macbeth (an undoing) feels intimate and powerful, as Harris’ fresh dialogue brings Shakespeare’s text into the 21st century and finds new wounds in the old words.

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Macbeth (an undoing), Royal Lyceum, Edinburgh, until 25 Feb