Three gun ad execs (aka The Witches) from The Sightless Couriers of the Air Agency have scored a high profile account: The Macbeths.
This February, Arrant Knaves presents a modern re-imagining of William Shakespeare's classic tragedy of ambition unchecked. Tickets are now on sale. Eight performances only.
"In an era when "fake news" has become a common catchcry, this enduring favourite in the Shakespearean canon has taken on a fresh appeal," says director Bruce Langdon.
"Two truths are told. At least."
In this exciting new production, the witches are advertising executives - gleefully mixing cocktails, snorting lines and dancing a rhumba, while infiltrating and influencing the lives of those around them.
One becomes Banquo's son, Fleance; another transforms into Macbeth's right-hand man, Seyton. They are the media throng that surrounds the Macbeths' triumphant rise to power. And they are pulling the strings for the power couple's inescapable crash. They are ever-present. They are always in control.
The talented cast includes Nadia Andary, Tom Bradley, Natasha Broadstock, Christina Costigan, Leon Durr, Tim Ferris, Laura Hill, Bruce Langdon, Ross Larkin, Carissa McPherson, Lucy Norton, Ryan Rhys and Shannon Woollard.
The production design adopts a kind of early-21st-century eclecticism, tinged always with a dark and glittering glamour; while the dazzling lighting by emerging talent Sidney Younger draws inspiration from the grandeur and emotionally heightened qualities of opera and ballet.
"It's all about image, outward show, brand and prestige," says Bruce. "Plus a good measure of frailty, fraud and PTSD."
Don't miss Macbeth at Meat Market, 3 Blackwood Street North Melbourne, VIC 3051. Tickets are now on sale through www.eventbrite.com.au/e/macbeth-tickets-494958312637. Bookings are highly recommended.
