A rendition of Shakespeare’s classic, Macbettu is the work of Italian director Alessandro Serra, who also oversees adaptation, direction, lighting, and costume design. Serra experienced carnival festivities in Sardinia’s Barbagia region, in Italy, where he saw parallels between the traditional music, dance, chants and the Bard’s Scottish play. Serra teamed up with Sardinia Theatre and TeatroPersona Company to co-recreate the classic performed in Sardinian. The indigenous language carries with it a different nuance from Italian, lending the work with ritualistic undertones.

Another Macbettu’s highlight is the all-male performance, in the purest Elizabethan tradition. The production is staged on a minimalist set, featuring dark and contrasting lights, while using live sound effects created with shuffling gravel and drumming on steel bars. Embodying a unique heavy metal aesthetics, creating tremendous tension, the piece enthralls the audience.

By William Chan Wai-yam
Chan is a veteran performing arts critic in Hong Kong. He is also the founding artistic director of the amateur drama group Friends’ Theatre, as well as the president of the creative collective William et al. Creative Lab. Chan has created over 20 original studio theatre productions and multi-media performances.

This article is summarised and translated from Chinese.