The first time we meet the Macbeths in Amy Leach’s production, they are mourning the loss of a child. Parenthood, progeny and posterity are at the heart of this new version of the Scottish play. Anxieties about lineage always haunt Macbeth, but here they’re brought to the fore.
Leach’s production opens with men being ripped from their families to go to war. The upturned chairs that scatter the stage suggest domesticity disrupted, as wives and children are left behind. In the crucible of conflict, a new sort of family is forged between Duncan and his thanes. In just a few brief scenes, these men become a believable band of brothers, making the bloody rupture of Macbeth’s betrayal all the more shocking.
