Review – Macbeth at The Bombed out Church (St Luke’s)

Out of doors venues – in this temperature – are an great way to return to theatre-going particularly when you have a breezy Bard providing.

And what far better environment for a re-imagining of Macbeth than St Luke’s known as the bombed out church. It is now a profitable, inexperienced-fringed and leafy  functionality house in the heart of Liverpool.

In this article in a refreshing Macbeth kingdoms are replaced by street corners, broadswords by pocket knives and armies for gangs.

Forsooth – this is a thoroughly modern interpretation with a female Macbeth who struggles with those ever current struggles of power and management.

Image: Brian Roberts photography

Teamwork is a tradesmark of the YEP and you can find true devotion and talent in its ranks. It was planned 14 months back to be at the Everyman but the pandemic  put an conclusion to that yet a established cry could be read:  ‘Out damn Covid.’

The YEP soldiered on with staff modifications alongside the way but determined the display will go on.

And it has worked out very well with the building’s legendary shell and arches including actual ambiance although seagulls chuckle overhead and further than the railings the road sounds of sirens and site visitors insert extra than a touch of actuality to this amazing piece of do the job. 

Photo: Brian Roberts images

Verastilty is yet another crucial component of the YEP cast and crew and in this article a dwelling band of musicians – some doubling up – add to the contemporay sense of this brash and daring generation with authentic incidental audio.

Inspirational Director Chris Tomlinson should be rightly proud as this self-confident Macbeth – coming in at just about two several hours like an interval – packs a perfectly-paced punch and makes it possible for its actors the flexibility to make their mark collectively and separately.

Lights (typically overlooked in assessments) justifies praise here for some simple still gorgeous effects notably the inexperienced shadows on the facial area of the sinister witches.

It would be unfair to solitary out actors from the 14 powerful solid – suffice to say they genuinely are all in it with each other and in the method for audiences anything wickedly inventve this way arrives.

4 stars

Right up until Sunday July 25

7.30pm and 3pm July 25

Tickets from [email protected]