The dawn of ‘Dracbeth’ in Derby: Shakespeare’s tragedy gets the gothic treatment.

Derby Shakespeare’s production of ‘Macbeth’, which opens in Repton tonight, is steeped in blood. I was invited to the dress rehearsal. Audiences are in for a perfectly timed Halloween treat as “vaulting ambition” meets Dracula in this beautifully staged hit.

It’s a delight to see this talented company back where they belong: in a full-sized theatre. Kilts and castles combine as The Repton 400 Hall Theatre is transformed into a Transylvanian-inspired Scotland. It looks terrific. The tiered set (Ken Owen, Neil Jones and Richard Heappy) is a medieval castle complete with stained glass windows and blood-soaked ramparts thanks to Jamie Vella’s lighting. Leni Robson’s sumptuous costuming completes the blood aesthetic: the Scottish Thanes resplendent in kilts and bright red military doublets.

“The dark and supernatural elements of the play inspired a gothic horror theme to act as a backdrop against the central love story,” explains director James Dean. “I wanted to create a pervasive sense of dread alongside the ambition of the Macbeths. It’s an exciting and thrilling production that tells a timeless story. Everybody wants to be thrilled and scared. We’ve all been ambitious and love is something that drives us all. Macbeth gives you all of that in one go.”

It's an interesting interpretation and one which works thanks to strong central performances. E. Montgomery Ashford is a cerebral Macbeth, full of brooding intensity in the soliloquys. He brings a calculating coldness to the role which fits nicely with the ‘Dracula’ interpretation but there is initial passion in his connection to Zoe Grunnell’s wonderful Lady Macbeth. His transition from loyal soldier to tyrant is convincing, spurred on by the supernatural influence of the Witches.

The act of regicide which ultimately leads to Macbeth’s downfall is, unusually, shown on stage. The murder of King Duncan (Roger Whiting – nicely balancing the poise of an experienced monarch with the frailty of age) catapults the Macbeths into madness, a “folie à deux” in the words of the director.

Why does Macbeth go through with the murder after claiming that he will “proceed no further” in the “business”? This is a central question which the play asks, providing no neat or easy answers. His own “vaulting ambition”, his “black and deep desires” certainly drive the decision. As do the persuasive powers of his wife, undermining his masculinity and encouraging him to “screw” his “courage to the sticking place.”

It’s the other influence on the decision which receives a new and interesting focus in this production: the Witches. Played as malevolent vampiric brides by Alex Wrampling, Samantha Drake and Isabella Lee, they are far more active agents in the human world than we usually see, even replacing the murderers to carry out Macbeth’s order to kill Banquo. It raises interesting questions about fate and human agency in the play.

Whatever or whoever makes things happen in this play, the destruction of a marriage is its emotional core. Zoe Grunnell brings a loving naturalism to the early scenes which heighten the poignancy of her decline: the sleepwalking scene is a vision of guilt-ridden pain, beautifully performed.

Derby Shakespeare have an excellent reputation for professional standards and this production is no exception, the whole talented cast contributing to an atmospheric and slick staging of ‘the Scottish play’. Notable performances include Danny Duder’s loyal and noble Banquo, making a disturbing blood-soaked reappearance in the banquet scene, and Matt Swan’s Macduff, offering a moving defence of masculinity and the right to grieve when he receives news of the slaughter of his wife and children. Phill Hodgkiss puts in a wonderful, but far too brief, performance as the lecherous Porter, providing a brilliantly pitched moment of levity in an otherwise relentlessly dark play and Jake Soar’s Malcolm is strong as heir to the throne of Scotland.

There are so many references to “unnatural troubles” in ‘Macbeth’. Sleep is disturbed. Horses are reported to “eat each other”. The earth is “feverous”. In a play in which “nature seems dead” this gothic Dracula-inspired interpretation provides fresh ways of looking at a timeless tragedy. Don’t miss it.

‘Macbeth’ is playing at the 400 Hall Theatre in Repton from 23^rd to 26^th October 2024.