What do Macbeth and a driven high school netball player have in common?

Nothing (you may think!).  However, the new Australian musical, "Lady Macbeth Played Wing Defence," presented by Crash Theatre Company at the Melbourne Fringe Festival, hilariously proved that notion wrong.

 

As the Dunsinane Hellhound's school netball team prepares for the inter-school tournament, Macbeth (Orla Poole), known as Mac for short, is eager to be named captain. However, when Coach Duncan (Courtney McManus) selects Chloe MacDuff (Shannon Rogers) as the captain instead, Mac becomes distraught.

 

She sees visions of the Dagger Divas, who predict that Mac will be captain because it is "written in the court lines." They imply that she just has to "take a swing at blondie" first. Unlike her Shakespearean counterpart, Mac plans her revenge and her path to the captainship by spreading rumours, causing injuries, lying, blackmailing, and using hurtful words. 

 

The Crash Theatre Company's new take on the Shakespearean classic Macbeth is a hilarious blend of classic quotes from Macbeth with modern wording. The audience always gets a laugh, especially when the quotes are placed in random but fitting places, almost as if the characters are slipping into  Shakespearean voice.  The book of this show is fantastic – McManus has done a wonderful job mixing Aussie sports culture and Shakespeare into one show.

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Image by @kdariusphotography​

 

The show features many high-energy, catchy pop-style musical numbers composed by Bec Price, with lyrics written by Ana Ferreira Manhoso, McManus and Price. Several of these songs are closely connected to the original Macbeth, especially the ones performed by The Dagger Divas, In Thunder, Lightening or in Rain, which echo the prophecies given by the witches in the play.

 

The choreography by Rogers was extraordinary, and the way the entire cast executed it added to the overall perfection of the show. Trap a Rat, one of the highest-energy dance numbers, stood out as a highlight of the entire performance.

 

The cast of only eight were all complete triple-threat performers. The ditzy and confused Brooke Ross (Georgia McGivern) was always funny whenever she was on the stage, especially during Claire The Hair. Her commentary and facial expressions throughout the performance, about how the others knew the song and choreography while she didn't, were just perfect. Ashley Donlbain (Emily Semple) was amazing playing against her. Her deadpan "I don't want to be here" expression didn't leave her face for the entire show.

 

In addition, Summer Banquo (played by Kate Sisley), an exceptional singer featured in Here If You Need, portrayed a gentle and kind-hearted character, contrasting with Poole's Mac, who became increasingly cold-hearted as the show progressed.

 

During Poole's solo moments, she would often engage in self-reflection, delivering Shakespearean lines in a way that never failed to elicit a chuckle from the crowd. Her flawless delivery of the iconic Macbeth lines, combined with her impressive singing voice, truly brought Mac to life on stage. 

 

The audience laughed the whole way through this one hour piece (which wasn’t long enough!!). Even though there have been so many different adaptations of Macbeth, not one other production has this edge of universality- Shakespeare lovers, haters and everything in between- this show really has something for everyone.  

Unfortunately, it was an extremely short run at The Melbourne Fringe Festival - October 2nd to 4th. But if you see this show advertised anywhere else, don’t hesitate to get tickets.