Shakespeare has room for everyone to put their mark on. And when something exciting comes along, it validates the potential. Hackney Empire’s production of Macbeth has the shoulders of Bernstein (West Side Story), Cole Porter (Kiss Me, Kate) and others to balance on.
They’ve aimed high. With music and dance from the R & B, hip-hop, and Afrobeat world, we see Macbeth negotiating up the ladder in the British music world.
Macbeth (Andre Fyffe) has been predicted to take over King Records. His loyalty to founder Duncan King (Kieran Smith) and intelligence warn him off but his wife (Malika Cholwe) and the whiff of success lure him.
The entire production intermixes Shakespeare’s text with the company’s script and music. Although this is not flawless, this is so incredibly clever and well-conceived and executed, it would take little to polish off the rough edges.
This is no one-production luck. Their four-star production in 2010 of Midsummer Night’s Dream proves that this organization knows Shakespeare. The cast amazingly handles the Shakespearian text as it moves back and forth between Macbeth and their own script. The audience is won over quickly and easily.
Kudos to everyone involved: actors, singers, dancers and production staff. Another must-see production from the TWIST (The Way I See It Theatre) Company.