Macbeth
As a GCSE student, it's fair to say that I am sick to death of Macbeth as I have spent many an hour learning and revising it over the years. So going down to the Maddermarket Theatre felt a bit like homework, but I was still interested to see how the famous play I know so well would be adapted in this two hour performance. I was very much open-minded about going to see Macbeth and was also interested to see what the theatre had to offer as this was my first ever time going there.
I arrived to find a small but well appointed theatre which I would estimate was probably about a third full. As we walked into the auditorium we were greeted with dry ice coming from the stage which really helped to set the scene. The first hour introduced the main cast of characters and I got a feel for how the rest of the play was going to pan out. Although the actors were amateur they all came across very well and really did engage the audience. The production for the play was also great with good use of lighting to create an atmosphere in the room. A personal highlight of mine was the use of Eminem’s classic 8 Mile in the second half. It might be Shakespeare but there's always room for a bit of hip hop. Macbeth is a classic piece of Shakespeare's work and is a story about political intrigue, murder and individual difficulties. Sounds to me like it has all the ingredients for a modern day blockbuster - just another example of how impressive it is that Shakespeare managed to write classics even in the 1600’s.
The language was Old English but was made easily understandable by the actors through their clear passion and devotion to get the audience engaged. This production was put on by the Norwich Players and interestingly we found out beforehand that they have been putting on plays since 1911. As a fan of Shakespeare it was nice to see it performed live in a brand new setting for me and I thoroughly enjoyed seeing it in a less familiar way from which I’m used to.
So all in all I had a good night getting to see not only a traditional piece of English theatre but also getting to tick of the Maddermarket Theatre on my list of Norwich venues. The auditorium is the perfect place for all your Shakespearean needs, and if you have never seen Shakespeare performed live on stage then why not head down to the Maddermarket before the run ends.
