FANS of Macbeth will
know that not only is it considered one of Shakespeare's four major
tragedies, it is also one of his meatiest and longest.
However a new and
innovative adaptation of the Bard's seminal work has pared it down
from its original three hours to a mere 75 minutes.
It will be performed in
the extraordinary setting of one of the spaces in the tunnels
underneath the railway tracks that go in and out of Waterloo Station
as part of this year's Vault Festival.
In a 10-day run from
February 4 to 15, it will be brought to life by Filter Theatre, a
company of actors and musicians who promise a radical and exciting
reinterpretation of the text.
"Shakespeare and
his actors collaborated together to bring his plays to the stage and
that's what we are doing," says actor Ferdy Roberts as he takes
a break from rehearsals.
"We have
approached this as though we have never seen it before, that it's a
new play and we create it as we go along.
"It's great
because doing it this way allows us to be as creative with it as we
want. In fact it's arguably closer to the way Shakespeare would have
worked with his actors so it's actually quite a traditional way of
working as well as being exciting."
The Brixton-based
actor, who will be taking on the title role, is no stranger to this
approach. Indeed Filter Theatre, of which he has been part since its
inception more than 10 years ago, is renowned for its unconventional
and contemporary approaches to its productions.
Its previous and
critically acclaimed versions of Shakespeare classics Twelfth Night
and Midsummer Night's Dream were similarly stripped back affairs that
merged performance and spoken word with integrated live music and
sound.
"We never
consciously decided to work this way, it's just the way it evolved
over the years," he says.
"But it means we
have come to this production in the same way as the others. There are
no pre-conceived themes, concepts or designs - we take elements of
the text and go from there.
"However, we are
not being irreverent and we are not ripping it apart. We strive to
hold on to the integrity of the play and Shakespeare's narrative - we
are obsessed with telling the story clearly so although we have
edited it down and some of the characters are missing it's still
recognisable.
"We don't want to
send the audience away bamboozled but we do like to challenge them."
He adds the idea for
tackling Macbeth was a deliberate one.
"We saw the
success we had with Twelfth Night and A Midsummer Night's Dream which
are traditional comedies and we wanted to see if we could explore the
same way we worked with those to one of his heavier, meatier plays.
"We chose Macbeth
because it's one of Shakespeare's best plays, a fantastic story which
one could argue should never run at three and a half hours!
"In fact it
propels through very quickly and is relentless."
He describes the
production - which he admits is still being tinkered with - as funny,
playful, kaleidoscopic, energetic and horrific.
"Macbeth is a
corrosive, psychological thriller, full of ambition, power and
witchcraft with constant references to sound and Macbeth's mind,"
he says.
"We are looking at
it from a psychological point of view and less from the battle weary,
broadsword hero of the play."
As with their other
productions the use of live music and sound to help tell the story is
just as important as the spoken word elements of it.
"It brings out the
different layers of the piece," he says. "Combining it all
together I hope the audience will be plunged into the meat and
gristle and psychological horror of the play."
And he says the space
at the Vaults is perhaps the "perfect" place to stage it.
"The Vaults are
like the dark recesses of the brain - dark, atmospheric, somewhat
confined - rather like Macbeth's mind in many ways so it's the
perfect place," he says. "People will feel they have been
plunged into the psyche of the man.
"It's going to be
an amazing experience, especially with the noise of the trains going
overhead.
"It's also
incredibly intimate and the audience will be right there within
touching distance which also makes it all the more exciting - not
just for them but for us too."
But what of those
Shakespeare purists for whom this is certainly not what you would
describe as a traditional interpretation.
"We wouldn't want
to upset them but Shakespeare can be all things to all people and I
think his work can take it," insists Ferdy.
"They are not
modern texts but they still mean something to us even now - the
themes explored in his plays still have relevance and we can relate
to those characters.
"They were written
for the people, the groundlings who went to the theatre as a way of
getting their news reports.
"Everyone who sees
it will have a different reaction so hopefully it will encourage
debate afterwards.
"I'm not sure what
Shakespeare would have made of it," he adds. "I hope he
would have admired our audacity and courage in taking his play down
this road.
"Ultimately I hope
he would like the idea, come and see it, have fun and enjoy it!"
Macbeth is on at The
Vaults, Leake Street from February 4 until February 15. Tickets cost
£16.50. Visit www.filtertheatre.com or www.the-vaults.org or call
the box office on
020
7401 9603
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