Macbeth, the second of the Bard on the Beach season’s two BMO Mainstage productions has made its bloody debut, as gruesome as The Merry Wives of Windsor is gleeful. Directed and adapted by Steven Drover, this production is set in a dystopian time, that brings a hint of Mad Max to the mad king’s tyrannical tale of deceit and treachery.
Commanders of King Duncan’s army, Macbeth (Munish Sharma) and Banquo (Sebastian Kroon) have waged a successful campaign against the Thane of Cawdor when three ominous figures foretell what lays ahead for the pair. No sooner do they learn of their futures, than it starts to come true. Macbeth thinks little of the soothsayers but his wife, the manipulative Lady Macbeth (Tess Degenstein), takes heed of the prophecy – setting in motion a catastrophic cavalcade of death, destruction and distrust.
King Duncan’s (Anthony Santiago) macabre murder sends his sons fleeing the country. Then Banquo’s death and attack on his son throws the court into turmoil and begins Macbeth’s descent into madness which leads to disastrous results for all. Sharma’s sharp portrayal of paranoia and mental illness is on point as we see the once great warrior unravel. Whereas Degenstein’s destructive arc convincingly takes the regal Lady Macbeth from a power-hungry puppet master to losing control as everything falls apart.
The cast treats us to many more skilled Bard regulars; Steffanie Davis as tragic Lady MacDuff and humourous Porter, Jacob Leonard as triumphant MacDuff, as Duncan’s sons, Tai Leathem plays Donalbain and Sara Vickruck playing the pivotal Malcolm. In addition to actors playing in both Macbeth and The Merry Wives of Windsor, Amir Ofek’s set does double duty from Community Centre locker room to a sterile and cold, morgue-like Dunsinane, the Macbeth country seat.
Drover’s adaptation leans heavily into the post-apocalyptic dystopia, leaving Fight Director Jonathan Hawley Purvis with plenty of scrapes to choreograph and (theatrical) blood to be spilled. Jeff Harrison’s lighting lends ambiance and foreboding to the grim tale, while Costumer Alaia Hamer needs to highlight both the road warrior aesthetic of battle as well as the crisp costumes of courtiers. One wee quibble is during the adrenaline filled opening battle scenes, having cast members speak from behind their masks of battle, before we know who is who, required some extra time and concentration to register the dialogue and speaker. Never knowing where they may appear, the chilling trio of all-knowing seers convincingly haunt the stage, leading to a bout of nervous laughter after a quick jump scare.
Despite The Scottish Play being one of The Bard’s most well known, with plenty of fights, frights and gruesome sights this production is set to toil, toil and bubble over with tension and anticipation.
The 2026 Bard on the Beach production of Macbeth shares the stage with the screwball comedy The Merry Wives of Windsor, under the BMO Mainstage tents at Senakw / Vanier Park until September 18 and 19, 2026 respectively. For more information on special presentations, show details and tickets visit bardonthebeach.org/whats-on/macbeth