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I’ve loved Macbeth. I think that Stephane Braunschweig adapted Shakespeare’s version with brio. The actors were just perfect in their tragic roles even if some funny moments bothered me and interrupted the tragic side of this play.

The decor was just amazing because in just 5 seconds we could pass from a simple kitchen to a very rich office and the forest of fir trees at the end made an impression on me.

The only thing that I did not enjoy was the length of the play because of certain scenes which were very very long.

To conclude, I would say that I rediscovered Macbeth with this very modern play in this splendid theatre: L’odéon.

 

Lilou 1ère L

 

The place was wonderful. I had never been to this theatre, so it was great to discover it.

When the play began I was really surprised by the set, its modernity and simplicity. I enjoyed it because it allowed the spectators to focus on the characters and their speeches. Because of the set, we could understand easily the role and place of each character. 

I thought the acting skills of the three women who played the witches were impressive. They conveyed fear, anxiety, nervosity in a very good way.

I thought the character of Macbeth was really nicely represented.  There was a great cohesion between the actors.

Louise 1ère L

 

This Shakespeare play was staged by Stéphane Braunschweig. In this play the setting and costumes were impressive. They moved me. I particularly appreciated that the play takes place nowadays. It is easier to enter this 17^th century drama.

Two elements of the stage directions have caught my attention: the vision of Banquo haunting Macbeth and Macbeth’s cut off head. These two things were amazing and terrifying with a realistic dimension of the vision and the craziness of Macbeth on the one hand and the troubled lookalike on the other hand. These two things were both spectacular and touching.

I experienced a lot of emotions during the play. I think the stage directions managed to achieve the goal of tragedy:  a purgation of the spectator’s fear and pity. Macbeth and Lady Macbeth were on the one hand terrific and on the other and appealing.

I totally agree with the way this adaptation was described as  “ blood stain on white tiles” .

I also agree with the translation chosen for Shakespeare’s text. In my opinion,  Stéphane Braunschweig perfectly transcribed the distressing atmosphere and the dramatic tone in setting the plot in another period.

Lucile M.  1ère L

 

We had worked on Macbeth and the place of witches in society in class, so when went to the Odéon we knew exactly what to face. The story is really captivating. You are placed in a situation of disagreement and division where everyone is trying to find their way. Lady Macbeth has wacky plans to bring her husband higher and higher and it is really frightening. The moment when the three witches give birth to their babies and deliver the prophecies with their babies was really breath-taking and left me speechless. During the play you never know exactly which side you are on, between the King’s entourage and the madness of Macbeth. 

The set is really simple, really pure. All the action is placed in the movement and in the text, not in the props.

Finally, I would say that this play is really enthralling and made me lose the count of time. It’s a beautiful play with talented actors who succeeded in bringing out the gloomy side of the play with verve.

Rime 1ère L

 

 

In the evening of Valentine’s Day we went to see Macbeth by Shakespeare directed by Stéphane Brauwnschweig. It was really amazing and the staging was impressive. Some scenes looked very real, as far as verisimilitude was concerned, especially when there were bloody murders.

I really appreciated the play and the madness of power was well highlighted, expect for one moment when the witches give birth. It was not really good but the last scene when Macbeth dies was really great.  

In general, I really loved the play but maybe it was a bit too long and at the end the dialogues were so long that I didn’t understand everything (even if it was in French).

I hope you will go and see it. It’s like a horror story and the staging serves it well.

Marie 1ère L

 

I thought the modernisation of the dialogues permitted a better understanding. They also tried to add modern society problems while they briefly talked about Brexit.

The set was cold and reflected the characters. Macbeth’s house, for example, with the metallic kitchen and white lightning showed a gloomy and morbid atmosphere. Moreover, the contrast between the red blood and the white floor created a striking artistic effect and made the experience all the more dramatic.

To me, the most striking scene was the death of Lady Macbeth and the line I remember is

“She dies too soon.”

However I didn’t find the acting of the actor who played Banquo so convincing. Also I thought that some adjustments of the text with humour were not a success and sometimes seemed almost inappropriate. They made the public laugh in front of the horror of Macbeth’s madness and removed the credibility of the character.  The witches, to me, were somehow turned into a joke by the way they were acting. Also, the scene with the babies which, I felt, was supposed to show Macbeth’s dreadful future made the audience laugh.

It was anyway a marvellous opportunity to see the play we studied in this theatre and I really enjoyed the play for the most part.

Angèle 1ere L

 

 

We went to see Macbeth at the Théâtre de l’Odéon on Valentine’s day. It was a chance for me because I had never seen a play by this author before. I was also very glad to go to this theatre.

It was the first time I had seen this place. Anyway.

I was very surprised by the staging. The setting of the play was totally new to me. I liked the change of scenery. Indeed, there were two giant walls which seemed like a bathroom and then the actors could move to change the background. Thanks to that they could easily transform the stage in a bathroom or a living room. During some changes all the lights were turned off for some seconds and then we saw another place. It was amazing. There were many objects on stage. I prefer plays with many props. It’s warmer when it’s not empty.

Afterwards my eyes focused on costumes. It was odd to see characters wearing 1990s clothes while the real story takes place in the middle-ages.

We had studied the play in class with our English teacher and heard and learnt some lines. So when we heard the lines in French, Angèle and I were totally offended, struck by the difference between the two versions of the lines. I prefer the lines in the original version, English; perhaps because we studied it first. I think that the line that surprised most was:

“Fair is foul and fouls is fair.”

as

“Le beau est laid et le laid est beau.”

Anyway, I can’t deny the fact that the thing which surprised me most is the way they changed the setting. Seriously, I’m in love with this.

Sometimes the play was a bit long, but not enough to spoil it. It was a good play. I was very glad to see it. We have to enjoy this kind of moments. They are unique and rare.  If I had to write a last word, a last sentence, I would write that it was a good evening despite the late come back to Versailles.

I would like to do other activities like this.

Manon 1ère L