Macbeth tends to be a popular choice of Shakespeare play for the Edinburgh Festival Fringe, presumably because it’s set in Scotland and also happens to be one of the ‘big’ ones. On the face of it, Macbeth: Blood & Bluegrass sounds like a bold take on a classic story. The tragedy, violence and betrayal contrasted against the bright and off-beat style of Bluegrass music.
Alas, it doesn’t quite hit either vibe quite hard enough. Our gender-flipped take on Macbeth is still set in Scotland (rather than bluegrass’s home of Appalachia), and though everyone looks amazing in leather, wielding swords, it does feel like a trick has been missed here. We get a version of Macbeth by the numbers, and though our lead actor is an amazing and convincing Macbeth, they do seem to be carrying the show at times. Macbeth is always a villain, regardless of their protests, and this character point is done superbly well.
The music similarly descends more into a folksy filk rather than bluegrass. These are adaptations of mainstream bluegrass hits, and it just doesn’t quite hit the vein. At times we get a synergy between story and the emotional punch of the music, and it is glorious, but it doesn’t come often enough.
There are some high-points. The witches at the start have proper bluegrass, folk-magic vibes; the final fight at the end is a lot of fun. The Barden Party (the people behind the show) are incredibly talented, but this show just doesn’t quite meet its potential.
All this said, if you see this show, you will have fun. We just wanted more blood and more bluegrass.
