“Is this a dagger I see before me?”
No, but teenage girls can be just as stabby. Crash Theatre Co. are fresh off their successful run on the Australian Fringe circuit with their award-winning hit “Lady Macbeth Played Wing Defence”. This ingenious blend of comedy-musical and Shakespeare has everything every theatre kid desires - and something for the secret netball fan in all of us.
We follow Mac, an ambitious and plucky wing defender gunning for the top role on her team. When popular it-girl Chloe beats her to the captain position, Mac spirals into jealousy and hatches a conniving plan to up-end the player favourite and all who stand in her way. It’s a tale of escalation as each new rival that crosses her path pushes her to more and more drastic measures - even at the expense of her best friend Summer.
The show deserves high praise on every front. The writing is exceptionally clever, peppering the dialogue with real quotes lifted directly from Macbeth. Watching the characters’ discourse shift from their ocre Aussie high school slang to eloquent Shakespearean is unbelievably funny, an absolute treat if you like modernised reworkings of the bard’s classic tales. The musical numbers are likewise brilliant and further incorporate the themes of Macbeth into the lyrics. Heralded by musician Project Bexx, the electro-pop beats perfectly match the tone of the show, with songs running the gamut from fun riffs on pop-idol dance tracks to over-the-top theatrical ballads.
The actors all have unique personalities and quirks, from the cheery wing attacker Summer to the diva centre player Mia (she played for the state team!), and even those with the smallest parts have a chance to shine. Mac herself is an oddly endearing character. It’s a hard balancing act to make a protagonist likable despite their flawed personality, but somehow we can still identify with her struggle. There’s a lot to relate to in her search for recognition and respect, made all the harder by the hormonal and antagonistic hell of high school. And the cast surrounding her is exceptional, providing counterpoints to her hostile attitude. One cannot overlook the hilarity that is overbearing Coach Duncan, whose great comic timing punctuates the mock seriousness of Mac’s soliloquies.
Brimming with feminine energy and imagination, “Lady Macbeth” is an ingenious reworking of Shakespeare's classic play, this time with a little less tragedy and a lot more passing drills. It’s a fun, colourful exploration of friendship, ambition and female solidarity. It’s easy to see why this show sold out in the blink of an eye.
***** Five Stars