The new and improved Lyric Theatre has been open for about a year and a half now and quite frankly it’s better than ever. Just one of six buildings across the UK to be shortlisted for the RIBA Stirling Prize, this is surely one of Belfast’s most beautiful architectural achievements yet.
It’s not all about the scenery though is it? The Lyric is also home to some of the finest performances Northern Ireland has ever seen, so PastieBap headed over to the Lyric last week to see Shakespeare’s Macbeth…
Macbeth is perhaps Shakespeare’s most popular and well-known tragedy and it’s often referred to as ‘The Scottish Play’ out of superstition. Although, that name doesn’t quite sit right for this local production. I think ‘The Northern Irish Play’ would be far more apt.
You may cringe and shrink back down in your seat at the crow of a Northern Irish accent, but for some reason our accent lends itself extremely well to Shakespeare. Somehow it flows and sounds almost natural and to be perfectly honest, it just works. I was a bit worried about sitting through a couple of hours of nothing but Shakespearean confusion,but after about fifteen minutes everything was understood. It’s a bit like watching a film with subtitles – after a few minutes your brain does all the work for you and you don’t even notice.
The stage is relatively simple, yet interesting. It’s split into two – at ground level there’s a long table, some stools and what looks like a castle wall, and above this towards the back of the stage is a raised, tilted area filled with gravel and a single bench. This allows for swift scene changes and progressions and for the action to flow seamlessly between the heath and the castle.
Directed by Lynne Parker, this production of Macbeth was performed very well and Stuart Graham’s portrayal of Macbeth himself was intriguing to watch. Strong and brave one moment, and weak and crazed the next – it was easy to see Macbeth’s spiral into madness. Andrea Irvine commanded the stage also with her display of a more human Lady Macbeth than we may be used to.
The tone of the whole play was suited to the story well as it was dark, cold and extremely atmospheric thanks to the stark set and pin-point lighting. The three witch’s performances where perhaps my favourite as they truly seemed mad and untrustworthy, yet still compelling. It was a true stroke of genius when they set up a gas burner with a ‘cauldron’ on it at the end of the first half which then bubbled its way through the interval.
Even looking at the poster for this production of Macbeth (which can be seen at the top of this page), it is clear that this is going to be something different. And something different it is. It’s entertaining, modern and innovative, yet doesn’t stray too far from the original way in which it should be presented.
Although I wasn’t quite expecting to, I thoroughly enjoyed this local production and would recommend it to anyone. A bit of culture, some fine acting and an interesting portrayal of a classic. A definite must see!
