Could the Donmar Warehouse production work as well on screen as seeing it in the theatre?
Having seen Max Webster’s production at the Donmar Warehouse in 2023 , it was hard not to be curious to see how it worked for a cinema release – particularly considering the audience in the theatre wore headphones to be really immersed in the minds of the Macbeths on their bloodthirsty quest for power.
Filmed live at the Donmar Warehouse, capture director Tim Van Someren really ensures that every little detail is captured powerfully – from David Tennant washing his blood stained hands in slow motion, to the exquisitely placed close up shots that reveal the intensity of the performances to brilliant effect.
But how about the sound quality? To create an immersive theatre production that relies so completely on the sound is impressive and the lingering effect it had on the theatre audience is chilling and mesmerising, enhancing Macbeth’s soliloquies perfectly. I have to admit, I wasn’t sure how it would work to create an equally powerful effect without headphones – but it really does, particularly when combined with the close up shots that are perfectly intertwined with this, allowing the audience to feel even more intimately involved, while taking us inside and outside characters minds in a sleek way.
There are plenty of moments that enthral and horrify in equal measure in the way it has been captured on film and again it is testament to Webster’s production that the chilling brutality of the story is captured so memorably – in particular regards to the way the murder of Macduff’s family is handled, lingers strongly in the mind. The blackout with only sound is haunting, chilling and painful, heightening our experience.
Perhaps there are a few tiny aspects to having the production filmed rather than experienced live that don’t quite work – including the overhead camera shots that feel as they pull the audience out of the intimacy of the production as a whole and the meta theatre aspect in The Porter’s moment in the spotlight (played delightfully by Jatinder Singh Randhawa) just changes the tone of the story too much and doesn’t really add to the horror of the story unfolding.
This being said there is much to hold and grab the audience’s attention in this filmed production, to ensure the haunting atmosphere, particularly when combined with the coolness of Bruno Poet’s lighting used to create additional depth and insecurity surrounding the characters themselves.
But at the centre of it all, it is the way in which every character is framed in each scene that makes this compelling to watch. In every close up shot of David Tennant, the audience is given depth and insight as to the character’s ever changing and dangerous mood, while Cush Jumbo’s beautifully precise performance as the scheming Lady Macbeth is brought into sharp clarity.
The pace throughout is steady and the audience’s attention never waivers during the just under two hour running time. This is still as haunting and mesmerising as watching it in the theatre – that is no small achievement from everyone involved.
By Emma Clarendon
Rating: ❤️❤️❤️❤️
Macbeth is out in cinemas on the 5th February. To find out more visit: https://www.macbethdonmarcinema.com/