Lady Macbeth Played Wing Defence is a modern adaptation of Shakespeare’s famed tragedy, the bloody lands of Scotland swapped out for the all-pink, gossipy Dunsinane High School. King Duncan becomes the smug coach, Banquo the kind best friend, and Macbeth the savage Wing Defence, taking out her friends (not killing them…) to reach her dream of captaining her team.
In order to keep Shakespeare relevant to youngsters, it is vital his texts are updated and adapted. Yet the fundamental issue with this production is that Macbeth and sixth form netball are simply incompatible. The flow of 16-year-old slang and banter is so often confusingly interrupted by lines from the tragedy – “is this a dagger which I see before me?” – meaning audiences are completely thrown into different worlds. It feels mismatched, random and muddled. Indeed, the plot of Macbeth bears such little resemblance to the plot of this show that I struggle to understand why they have pursued such a tenuous link. The play’s conclusion is far from the gruesome tragic death Shakespeare is so famous for.
If the show could accept its modern, youth vibes then it would edge far closer to a well-rounded piece of theatre. Indeed, the pink aesthetic is hugely successful, making a stage picture that pops to the eye. The synth bops by Anna Ferreira Manhoso and Bec Price are also lapped up by an excited audience and consistent with the young atmosphere, though admittedly possessing generic melodies that feel so often repeated in modern musicals. Thankfully, they are sung by a cast with extreme vocal talent – these performers can riff for days, and some of their harmonies are stunning.
Acting-wise, Courtney McManus as the coach is the highlight, continually delivering long-winded anecdotes with a dose of pride that makes them immediately amusing. The cast’s enthusiasm certainly prevents any kind of boredom from setting in. The show’s cheesiness, prevalent throughout much of it, completely works – often moments are legitimately funny. Yet the musical’s insistence on attempting to drag the script and songs back to a historic play that has such little relevance, coming notably at odds with the mood presented elsewhere, suggests Lady Macbeth Played Wing Defence requires significant work to follow in the footsteps of the great Edinburgh debuts before it.
