Macbeth, Young Vic *****

I came in to the Young Vic feeling apprehensive. Their previous Shakespeare was less than entertaining and this was another proscenium arch production in a space which is clearly best suited to thrust and in-the-round productions. However, as I started I instantly felt comfortable that Carrie Cracknell and Lucy Guerin knew what they were doing. This Macbeth combines the text with superb choreography which intensifies the supernatural elements of the drama. Ana Beatriz Meireles, Jessie Oshodi and Clemmie Sveaas especially are wonderfully unsettling and physical as the three witches who, in this production, appear to manipulate Macbeth's descent into madness rather than being done by Macbeth's own greed and ambition, shown through their almost continuous presence in the drama. Lizzie Clachan's design also demonstrates Macbeth's fate being pre-determined and his being trapped in yet another striking and ingenious design from Clachan, who is demonstrating the huge talent of designers in modern theatre that is staggering in quality. Neil Austin too has become the go-too guy for great lighting design and he excels here, both concealing the truth and, especially in the banquet scene, contrasts between Macbeth's mind and the action. Performances are immense. Anna Maxwell Martin is a formidable Lady M, not falling into the villainess trap, with her silences meaning as much as her words, which are conveyed with passion and elegance. John Heffernan is quickly turning into my favourite actor with an incomparable gift for maintaining a rhythm and technique whilst portraying pure truth. In Oppenheimer, his performance rescued what, in my opinion, was a flawed production. Here, his talent is allowed to blend in and fuse with perhas the strongest ensemble I've seen this year. Prasanna Puwanarajah also wonderful as Banquo and the casting of his son Fleance is thought provoking and an inspired directorial decision. This is one of the shows of the year and shows that the Young Vic haven't lost their ability to punch above the heavy weights with this gem of a tragedy. (Genuinely awful programmes though. Even worse than the Dorfman one. One tiny article and some biographies simply isn't good enough for three pounds!)