Macbeth (Donmar Warehouse) London Reviews and Tickets
Show-Score Member Reviews (13)
See it if David Tennant was worth seeing alone. The sound design was epic. Caused you to really hear the words anew. I saw it twice, totally worth it.
Don't see it if If you don’t like a modern staging of Shakespeare or would have problems with the headphones. It was almost 2 hrs, no interval. Minor blood
See it if you’d want to see Tennant as Macbeth … and of COURSE you would.
Don't see it if you would find the whole headphones thing to uberfocus the sound you experience a little drawn out and gimmicky.
See it if You want an interesting way of viewing theatre, the headphones were a clever way to do the sound and it worked well.
Don't see it if You're not a Shakespeare fan.
See it if you can get a ticket. The sound design is excellent, but the story trails off as usual with this play.
Don't see it if Don't like Shakespeare.
See it if You want to see amazing acting - Cush Jumbo is absolutley out of this word as Lady Macbeth
Don't see it if You want a full costumed, full-script version of Macbeth Read more
See it if like Tennant or Jumbo - both deliver good performance with clear diction. It is a concise view of Macbeth. Want to see a different take.
Don't see it if you don't like the bells and whistles - lots of SFX and music. Webster has chopped the book up - all off-stage murders, no witches etc.
See it if you like David tenant, you want to see Shakespeare without dramatic whispering, you like a good set and good music
Don't see it if you don't like gimmicky things like binaural headphones and sounds of birds squawking.
See it if You're a Shakespeare fan, a Tennant fan, or a fan of technology being integrated into the theatregoing experience.
Don't see it if You don't know what Macbeth is about (research before!), you're opposed to the oft-gimmicky idea of headphones the whole time.
Critic Reviews (12)
“Their performances are enthralling, but removed from the audience. Armed with headphones, the patrons are given a personal, intimate feed of every breath and murmur of the actors they’ve come to see...It would be interesting to see the show free from all the fancy listening gear so we can bask in the thrill of seeing Tennant and Jumbo grapple with their actions without a middleman.”
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"This is like listening to a very good audio production of Macbeth while watching very good actors mime to it. Interesting, but not something you’d necessarily choose to experience. Which is a shame, as it features the most emotionally committed Shakespearean performance I’ve seen Tennant give."
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“ ‘Macbeth’ was always pacey, but there are absolutely no longeurs here, just thrilling set piece after thrilling set piece, the whole thing blasted out in under two hours.”
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"It’s a cool, cocky and utterly arresting production. Tennant’s Macbeth is vicious and yet he makes us feel his character’s tragedy acutely."
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"For almost two hours, you’re held in the play’s grip until Tennant’s physically prostrate and profusely bleeding monarch lies felled, and alone, like a sacrificial victim; we gaze upon the corpse, while hearing, as if through his dying senses, the final exchanges between the departed company – an act of risk-taking theatre that also feels darkly, magically, like real-life."
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“With no interval to interrupt proceedings, events hurtle towards the bleak conclusion...Haggard and careworn, Tennant is simply hypnotic. His verse speaking remains every bit as precise as we’ve come to expect.”
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“This feels like a ‘Macbeth’ for the digital age, one perfectly tailored for fans of its star David Tennant. It’s stylish, evocative – and slightly distancing. But never for a moment can you tear your attention away...This is a cool, studied ‘Macbeth’, with a clear view of where it’s headed. It didn’t move me, but in its own chilly way, it strikes deep chords.”
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"This is unquestionably a slick, stylish and sharply effective production. Rosanna Vize blends ancient and modern with her monochromatic take on kilts and knitwear, and the sheer brutality – especially the deaths of innocents – calls to mind our current conflicts. Above all, Tennant is an unmissable monster."
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