National Theatre Live: Macbeth

Branagh has delivered yet another spectacular performance, his subtle tone shift is able to make the dagger scene especially memorable, the film adaptation has a decent use of camera angles, great for a filmed live play.

Manchester International Festival's Macbeth Boasts Kenneth Branagh's Triumphant Return to Live Shakespeare By Armin Callo, Contributing Editor, InFlux Magazine

Another new production of Shakespeare's classic tragedy, Macbeth, often elicits a familiar sigh. "Again?" This, particularly in light of the fact that three -- count them, three – separate new and large-scale productions of Macbeth have opened in England in 2013 alone! Nonetheless, Sir Kenneth Branagh's return to live Shakespeare, after a decade's drought in this regard, at the Manchester International Festival's production of Macbeth is not to be missed. It is an electrifying experience.

The entire run was sold out in the first eight minutes of internet sales, so it is a blessing that the production is available for live HD transmission via National Theatre Live cinema broadcasts. To experience this Macbeth in community, on the large screen in HD, is a must. With very rare exception, almost everything about this production is excellent.

Let me begin with the staging. It is unequaled. The Manchester production does not take place in a theatre. No. Instead, co-directors Kenneth Branagh (Shakespeare adoptations, Harry Potter, Wallander, My Week with Marilyn) and Rob Ashford (Thoroughly Modern Millie, How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying) use a deconsecrated Victorian church to tell this tragedy. And such a clever use, too.

Production designer Christopher Oram places most of the dramatic action in the nave of the church space. Here, the nave is wet, muddy, damp and chock-full of medieval slush, serving as shortcut to the Scottish moors or a musty Scot castle. So effective is this use of atmosphere it even comes complete with rain to enhance the mood and feel of damp despair and dark wickedness. The audience, seated "on both sides of the stage" so to speak, is choir-style and intimate. At one end of the nave, in place of the old altar space, is a semi-circle of hard slate, stained glass, and candles. At the other end, where the organ loft once stood, we have hidden, yet operable, Gothic window vistas and tall castle parapets. These elements are effectively used for the entrance and disappearance of the three sister-soothsayers; to offer the audience watchful ghost visions and; later, Lady Macbeth's sleep walk on the castle corridors. This production's placement of such narrative devices within the context of this church space is genius. And the actors' wading through the muddy spaces – all the while staining their costumes with each pass through the nave/stage -- makes the narrative action so much more real, effective, dirty, damp, and devious.

Fortunately, the cast equals the brilliance of the staging. Supporting standouts include Ray Fearon's Macduff, Jimmy Yuill's Banquo, and Rosalie Craig's Lady Macduff. This reviewer was particularly impressed by a young Pip Pearce as Macduff's Son. Nonetheless, the standouts, to be expected, are Kenneth Branagh as Macbeth and Alex Kingston as Lady Macbeth. The two actors are well suited for their roles. Their chemistry is so believable that we can see, in their performance, how each one feeds the other in ambition, greed, doubt, and sex. If only Alex Kingston could have toned down the epileptic-fit-robotics of her sleepwalking scenes. To this viewer, I found these actions over dramatic and, in effect, diluted the effective language of Lady Macbeth's closing soliloquies. To find such a minor flaw in one bright and stellar diamond is to nit-pick indeed.

The production is breathtaking, literally. At the play's conclusion -- after all that blood and after all those murders -- grace returns to Scotland with its rightful king. And the audience sighs. Sighs with gratitude and wonder. Stunning. Catch a "live" cinema broadcast near you.

Although I have watched quite a reasonable amount of Shakespeare, I realized recently that I have tended to stay to the couple of main works that I know at least a little, and there were plenty I have not seen. Watching through film versions of the sonnets is part of addressing this, but it surprised me that I do not think I have ever seen Macbeth in any form. I know the basic plot, but mainly that is because I have read critics referencing someone as being like Macbeth or lady Macbeth, so my extension I know how they are. To remedy this I got hold of this National Theatre performance featuring Kenneth Branagh in the title role.

The delivery is filmed in a sort of theatre; I'm not sure where it was but the audience sit on both sides and the back of the stage is laid out like the front of a church. Most of the action occurs in front of this, on a long muddy strip of floor which links to the Scottish moors (even if it occasionally seems out of place in some scenes). The effect is really good, including rain effects at one point; I like the lack of stage in particular, putting everything almost in a pit. The plot unfolds as I sort of knew, although with details and lines that I was not aware of. The performances hold the space really well; Branagh is very strong in the lead and his performance aided my understanding of the words a great deal. He is well supported by Fearon's Macduff, as well as others such as Doyle and Yuill to name only a few. Kingston got a lot of praise for her performance, but for me it was mixed. At first her performance is balanced well, but later she is more manic – and not always in a way that fits the material or character. In particular I found her final scene in the dream-state to be over-the-top and almost comical in her dramatic body movements and facial expressions. The three sisters I found hard to understand at times – not sure if this was them or the acoustics of the filming.

Running only at 2 hours, this version is very well done. I found it accessible in terms of understanding the characters and interactions, with the dialogue easier to understand thanks to the performances which are generally both expressive but also helpful to the viewer. The set is unusual but as I settled into the idea, I enjoyed it more. Kingston was the only thing for me that didn't work – but like I say, it was really only that last scene where I felt she pushed things too much over-the-top.

I've seen Branagh in the Flesh..he is one of our finest,most intelligent and sensitive of Actors,so those calling him an Over actor ...don't know very much about the Theatre!! He wasnt knighted,for nothing! This is a fine telling of a great Masterpiece!!

Alex Kingston as Lady Macbeth is ideal. But it's really too bad Branagh keeps casting himself in the main roles of the Shakespeare plays he directs (although at least he's not Mel Gibson). The problem is his dreadful overacting in every S. film I've seen him do, and there are so many better actors close at hand to play such roles. I'd love to be able to show one of my lit classes a good Macbeth without resorting to the dated look of Polanski's masterpiece, but sadly, this one doesn't make it. Branagh sadly lacks all ambiguity.'