Macbeth under the stars review

The Australian Shakespeare Company presents Macbeth with the beautiful backdrop of the Royal Botanic Gardens Victoria.

I went along with a couple of friends and we got settled in with a lovely picnic, wine and cheese, so we could look sophisticated like the majority of the audience.

First thing we complemented was how lovely the set design was, especially the location. The Gardens have so much character which only added to the show when it got later. As it got darker we were treated to bats flying over head as Macbeth saw a dagger before him, this is the type of event you don't get in a traditional theatre. We were also very pleasantly surprised with the creativity of the set design, the bubbling cauldron and rotating castle allowed for some very interesting scenes.

The acting was good and kept up with expectations. Nathaniel Dean really captured us with his portrayal of Macbeth, and Alison Whyte's performance was really the highlight of the show. She gave an amazing performance as Lady Macbeth, reeling us in as she gave her soliloquy. The whole cast gave a really great performance that left everyone chattering about their favourite parts.

The show runs until the 23rd of February, so go see this wonderful adaption of "the Scottish play" before it finishes.