Ask anyone of eighteen or above which Shakespeare tragedy they are most acquainted with, and they are bound to answer 'Macbeth'. School curricula may seasonally adopt Hamlet, King Lear and Othello, but the Scottish Play remains a constant. Sometimes it is even offered as an introductory gambit; its language is forceful and clear, there are no confusing subplots to contend with, and the action is relentlessly exciting, filled with the supernatural, the morbid and the bloody.

The Oxford School of Drama have wisely clung to these elements to give their production a graceful, almost meditative moodiness. To a soundtrack of stark John Adams piano music, the witches, here played as squawking crows, flit around the stage as if they own it; nature questions the unnatural acts that the human animals perpetrate in the name of war and revenge.

Well, animals in theory perhaps, for this is not the most unhinged of Macbeths. The hero’s rapid descent from courage and humility into out-and-out treachery is one of Shakespeare’s great challenges to the actor. Richard Flood settles for a rather measured performance, to the degree that his killing sprees seem to puzzle him, rather than genuinely unsettle his conscience. It’s an interesting take on events, but one which mutes the impact of some monologues.
In fact, the whole production remains slightly lethargic until Banquo’s murder, whereupon it springs to life with athletic combat scenes and more convincing speeches. Perhaps the initial reserve is appropriate, for it’s certainly a pivotal point in the play, the moment that Scotland’s fate becomes tangled in plot twists as the wrongful king slides more and more out of control. Macbeth’s own death is climactically suspenseful, with deafening helicopter sounds overhead and expert stick fighting.

Most of the set pieces are deftly handled. Particular praise might go to Lady Macbeth’s sleepwalking scene, with Susannah Mullett guiltily clawing at the stage as if it were her own hair; and Danny Vardanian’s bawling Porter, the play’s lone comic relief. Flood’s bemused Macbeth comes into his own in the closing scenes, where ruefulness, bewilderment and resignation mark the final soliloquy. It’s one of Shakespeare’s most succinctly affecting, and Flood delivers the goods.

At first, I suspected this Macbeth to be heavy on ‘atmosphere’ but not so hot on ‘action’. By the end, my opinion had reversed, and the audience gave it an excellent reception. Many teenagers were there giving their cheers; the Pegasus is Oxford’s most youth-oriented theatre, and thus this very young Macbeth points the way to how it can be done. Tackling classic cornerstones of the canon is a daunting task, and though there are unsure moments in this reading, it can still be highly recommended.

Andrew Blades