Macbeth

Three gun ad execs (aka The Witches) from The Sightless Couriers of the Air Agency have scored a high-profile account: The Macbeths. Upwardly mobile. Charismatic. Utterly ruthless.

Arrant Knaves presents a modern re-imagining of the classic tragedy of ambition unchecked.
‘In an era when “fake news” has become a common catchcry, this enduring favourite in the Shakespearean canon has taken on a fresh appeal,’ says director Bruce Langdon.
‘Two truths are told. At least.’

Here, our witches are advertising executives – gleefully mixing cocktails, snorting lines and dancing a rhumba, while infiltrating and influencing the lives of those around them.
One becomes Banquo’s son, Fleance; another transforms into Macbeth’s right-hand man, Seyton. They are the media throng that surrounds the Macbeths’ triumphant rise to power. And they are pulling the strings for the power couple’s inescapable crash. They are ever-present. They are always in control.

The production design adopts a kind of early-21st-century eclecticism, tinged always with a dark and glittering glamour; while the dazzling lighting by emerging talent Sidney Younger draws inspiration from the grandeur and emotionally heightened qualities of opera and ballet.

‘It’s all about image, outward show, brand and prestige,’ says Bruce. ‘Plus a good measure of frailty, fraud and PTSD.’
Eight performances only. Bookings highly recommended.