RSC Macbeth - SkyArts ?

[LuluBlakey1]

Anyone watch this tonight on SkyArts?

DH is away in London overnight. I missed the first 10 minutes because of DC but was quite looking forward to it. I thought it was awful.

I'm a Christopher Ecclestone fan usually but he was dreadful- almost chanting the speeches out, no subtlety whatsoever in his delivery.

Niamh Cusak was worse as Lady Macbeth. I didn't recognise her at first and couldn't comprehend how any actress could have produced such an awful interpretation. She stomped around, her body language was terrible and she 'missed' every key line. Actually, they both did. Macbeth has some beautiful poetry and striking language and every single example was just lost in awful delivery. They spent the whole production wearing crowns- at the gym, in bed, whilst sleepwalking, whilst throwing themselves on the floor in whatever emotion it happened to be.

There were times it was just crass. I don't think I've ever seen such a bad production.

Only Michael Hodgson as the porter stood out as good.

I wondered what anyone else thought?

I had the misfortune of seeing this in the theatre. The only good thing I have to say is that the ticket was a comp, so I at least didn't pay to see it.

I haven't been back to the RSC since. It was the last in a long line of poor productions I've seen there, and the ticket prices just keep rising.

I saw it live in the theatre because DC was doing it for GCSE. I thought that the production was great - I loved the sense of doom and the Shining vibe which fitted well with the Barbican, I liked the death count, and it brought out the sense that something was deeply wrong with Scotland brought on by the regicide.

However I thought Eccleston was terrible, I thought his performance was much too small for the stage and blamed it on his TV expertise - interesting that you didn't think it worked on camera either. I didn't have a problem with Cusack.

I’ve also thought standards have plummeted at the RSC, whereas when I first started going n the late 1990s, there were some gorgeous productions — I still remember a glorious Twelfth Night from 1997/8.

I also saw this in the theatre — I was ok with Niamh Cusack, though she was required to do a lot of dashing about. But it was Christopher Ecclestone who was the disappointment for me. He’s a good actor, but he couldn’t manage the verse at all.

Interesting to hear similar reactions from other posters. I m surprised it wasn't re-worked before it was actually performed by the RSC. Surely the director and actors could see it was an awful performance. Makes you wonder if they are ever honest with each other.

I was so disappointed. It's my favourite play and when I saw the little girls in onsies,shouting out the weird sisters lines, I had a bad feeling.

Banquo was good. The Porter was the best. I loved the death count and his constant presence onstage.

Niamh Cusack was completely OTT. From the moment she read the letter, she was hyper and aggressive.

Christopher Eccelston was really disappointing.