After a national and international tour Richard Twyman’s stylish, contemporary and gut-wrenching production for English Touring Theatre (ETT) comes to the Lyric Hammersmith in a reworked version for 2025 that explores why Macbeth has haunted our fears and nightmares for centuries.
David Colvin plays Lennox in the production and we caught up with him to find out more about the plans for the show and how he’s approaching the play.
Q&A with David Colvin
What can you tell us about the ETT production of Macbeth?
Our Macbeth will be exciting and unconventional. It will celebrate the master wordsmith but also allow for an imaginative and hopefully fresh perspective on Shakespeare’s Scottish play. I think I can tell you that we’ve set the play in a more contemporary world and have adapted the script to match the more modern setting. This, I think, has allowed for much more intimate storytelling, at times beautiful, at times brutal and disturbing. The most important thing I can tell you is that I am in awe of the cast, crew and creatives who are putting together an unforgettable theatrical experience for Shakespeare buffs and novices alike.
How does it feel to be taking the show to the Lyric Hammersmith?
I’m really excited to share our Macbeth with Lyric Hammersmith audiences. I have been many times as a punter, but this will be my first time on the Lyric stage. The Lyric has such a great following, such fantastic audiences and I know we are going to provide them with a Macbeth that will excite and challenge them. I’m just looking forward to soaking up all the good vibes the building seems to always offer in abundance.
How are you approaching Lennox as a character?
Lennox is a solider. Not just a soldier, he sits at the top table with Kings and senior Thanes. What I’m discovering is how much those around can change and inform who and what Lennox is. In day-to-day life, our relationships change us and the characters we play should be no different. Sometimes I like him, sometimes he makes terrible decisions but, we all get it wrong from time to time, isn’t that what makes us human? Trying to find an interesting, nuanced and possibly even surprising Lennox is a continuing goal.
This is the second time you’ve appeared in a production of Macbeth – what is it like to be coming at the play from a different character’s viewpoint?
Different character, different setting, different edit of the text and only ten in the cast. The last time I was in Macbeth it was a traditional setting, we were quite literally performing in a castle and had 15/16 in the cast. So, the differences between the productions are stark. Our adaptation provides new opportunities, because our characters journeys have to be re-mapped and emotionally re-discovered and thought through. This has, I think, been the most fun thing in the early weeks of rehearsal – who are these people in our version of Macbeth?
Macbeth is at the Lyric Hammersmith, London from 28 February to 29 March
