A ludicrous amount of productions of MACBETH by William Shakespeare are currently available to watch in self-isolation via streaming services.
I’ll let you into the secret. The greatest ever production of the blood soaked supernatural tragedy is available for you to watch right now, for free, without signing up anywhere for anything.
In 1979 Trevor Nunn's directed a revelatory staging for the Royal Shakespeare Company. It was unique because hitherto the play was usually the basis for spectacular large scale productions. Nunn cut out all the clutter and staged it within a simple unadorned circle edged by cast and audience and swathed in darkness and shadow.
In this circle the incantations of three witches suddenly took on an enormous and disturbing power, as if evil was indeed being summoned, and the actors in dark simple costumes stepped into the shafts of light and conveyed the lines simply and clearly as if from within some dimly remembered nightmare.
I'm too young to have seen it live but fortunately, thanks to the brilliant TV directing of Philp Casson, we have a film of the production which captures the power of it and the superb cast at their finest.
And what a cast! In the film you’ll see young (and hot!) versions of actors who were to go on to become big stars.
Ian McKellen plays the troubled Macbeth haunted by predictions that he’ll wear the crown, driving him to murder his king. Judi Dench plays his wife and accomplice, Lady Macbeth, in a beautiful and revelatory performance that captures the love, bewilderment and vulnerability in a role traditionally played as a ruthless villainess.
Amongst the supporting cast are Theatre and TV stalwarts Greg Hicks as Donalbain / Seyton, Ian McDiarmid as The Porter / Ross, Bob Peck as Macduff, Duncan Preston as Angus, Roger Rees as Malcolm and John Woodvine as Banquo.
Watch it for free here:
Close the curtains, turn off the lights, switch off your phone and immerse yourself in its dark power.
Over the last week there’s been an avalanche of theatre related material released for home streaming. In fact there’s so much choice available that it can be hard to know where to start.