L. S. Media Rating: *****

Cast: David Morrissey, Julia Ford, Mark Arends, Ken Bradshaw, Richard Bremner, Neil Caple, Matthew Flynn, Gillian Kearney, Syrus Lowe, Gavin Marshall, Shaun Mason, Nathen McMullen, Eileen O’Brien.

It may not have been an easy process taking one of the great works by William Shakespeare, however in Macbeth, David Morrissey, Julia Ford and Gemma Bodinetz and all those that make up the team at the Everyman Theatre, the Liverpool public put their collective trust in the final big scale performance that will be held at this iconic Liverpool theatre before the extensive redevelopment that’s due to start.

If the Everyman can be said to hold a soul, a memory of all that came before it and all those that have trod upon its boards then it can only have been more than pleased to have had this play as its finale. The idea of a man tempted by the words of others to commit regicide and destroy everything he had ever held dear before casting the future aside is quite rightly lauded as one of the playwrights greatest works and has been performed many times by some of the greats of cinema but in locally born David Morrissey, the audience were treated to, arguably, one of the finest adaptations of the man they called Macbeth.

To witness David go from courageous hero of the battle to a man being tempted by fate of the witches and his wife and finally to the broken man, suffering under his own terminal guilt at what he has become and dying at the hands of Macduff was one of the most stirring and perfect performances by an actor who by his own admission, has not performed on stage for so long.

David was not alone in his brilliant portrayal of Shakespeare’s troubled king, the entire cast, perhaps sensing the history behind the play and the weight of expectation that was generated by those that love the Everyman Theatre gave stirring performances that highlighted the need for theatres to be given more focus and spared much of the cuts that have seen other venues suffer.

Julia Ford, who was only drafted into the cast three weeks ago at the unfortunate steeping down of Jemma Redgrave from the role, shone as she schemed, plotted and cajoled David along in her reading of the Lady Macbeth.

Once more, the Everyman showed why they will be greatly missed from the diaries of its dedicated audiences. If you are going to go out, then go out with a bang and in Gemma Bodinetz’s Macbeth, the Everyman went out with all guns blazing and in super, brilliant fashion.

Ian D. Hall