REVIEW: Macbeth (2025)
Macbeth itself has a lot to appeal to fans of grimdark. The moral greyness is front and centre, in fact, the play is famous for it. The events in Macbeth are set in motion by elements that we would now call speculative fiction: three witches who prophesize Macbeth’s rise to King of Scotland. There’s scheming, conniving, murder and more as the play explores dark themes of destiny, greed and guilt.
In addition, Macbeth is one of the more ubiquitous of Shakespeare’s plays (if such a thing is possible) and is studied in anglophone schools the world over. It’s shorter than some and contains a multitude of phrases and words that have since become common parlance. All of which makes Macbeth not only a great introduction to Shakespeare but an important entry in the history of the written word.
“It will have blood, they say: blood will have blood.”
So, why watch this particular version of Macbeth? As IMDB will corroborate, there are a lot of Macbeth adaptations to choose from, and of course that doesn’t include the myriad stage performances across the world every year. The casting is a good enough reason to start. In the showing I went to, I overheard a number of people commenting that they don’t normally go in for theatre or Shakespeare but they were willing to give it ago because they’re long-time fans of David Tennant (Doctor Who, Staged). In the tradition of many great British actors before him, Tennant is every bit a Shakespearean actor and plays the tragic king brilliantly.
Cush Jumbo (The Good Wife, Stay Close) also has an impressive stage career and has previously worked with Tennant on Deadwater Fell. Her performance as Lady Macbeth was equally as impeccable – and what more can you expect from two actors who’ve both played Hamlet before? Other stand-outs among the cast include Jatinder Singh Randhawa as the Porter, and Ros Watt as Malcolm.
The staging at the Donmar Warehouse allows for an intimate theatre experience and this translates well in the recording. The adaptations made for the presence of cameras add to the intimacy with close-ups as the actors whisper to the audience, poignant looks-to-camera and well-timed focus shifting during soliloquies (the monologues characters address to themselves; their internal thoughts vocalised). This is epitomised by Tennant’s delivery of ‘Tomorrow, and tomorrow, and tomorrow’ as he perches on a raised section at the rear of the stage, as if a crow sounding out his lamentation of the day.
“Tomorrow, and tomorrow, and tomorrow,
Creeps in this petty pace from day to day,
To the last syllable of recorded time;
And all our yesterdays have lighted fools
The way to dusty death. Out, out, brief candle!
Life’s but a walking shadow, a poor player,
That struts and frets his hour upon the stage,
And then is heard no more. It is a tale
Told by an idiot, full of sound and fury,
Signifying nothing.”
Which brings me nicely onto my final point to discuss: the language. First, all the actors are speaking in their natural accents, which means we get to hear Tennant’s delightful Scottish. Considering this is The Scottish Play, it seems only right that we get Scottish accents (many past adaptations were undertaken in RP and I’m all for putting that classist tradition in the bin).
Second, which may be a sticking point for some, is the Shakespearean language. This production of Macbeth is performed in the original language and, yes, it’s not the easiest to decipher on the fly if you’re not familiar with it. The language isn’t too much of an issue for Macbeth, given how well-known the story is, and if you’re worried about getting lost there are plenty of synopses online you can consult to guide you through. The cast and crew do an excellent job of conveying meaning in other ways so this is a great option for entering the world of Shakespeare.
Macbeth (2025) filmed live at the Donmar Warehouse is currently showing in cinemas across the UK.
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