The problem with staging Macbeth as light children’s fare: it’s not really a comedy, is it? An iffy idea compounded by uninspired writing make for an awkward show, though the performers deserve kudos for the quality of their singing.
Taking the age guidelines of 4+ at face value, I ventured to the show with my 5- and 6- year-old companions. Unfortunately, they couldn’t see the jokes past all the murders, and I couldn’t muster a laugh myself for the “he’s dead: ha ha” moments.
Macbeth re-written with modern, pedestrian dialogue and clichéd one-liners doesn’t actually serve the play or its younger audience very well. The performers struggled bravely with the material, racing around with great energy, and really singing quite well, but they were hampered by poor lyrics (other than those rare bits actually taken from the original play).
An experiment that doesn’t really succeed for this particular audience.
Til 25 Aug (not 18), 11:00. £10 (£8)