Outdoor venues - in this weather - are an ideal way to return to theatre-going especially when you have a breezy Bard offering.
And what better setting for a re-imagining of Macbeth than St Luke's known as the bombed out church. It is now a successful, green-fringed and leafy performance space in the heart of Liverpool.
Here in a refreshing Macbeth kingdoms are replaced by street corners, broadswords by pocket knives and armies for gangs.
Forsooth - this is a thoroughly modern interpretation with a female Macbeth who struggles with those ever present struggles of power and leadership.
Teamwork is a tradesmark of the YEP and there's real dedication and talent in its ranks. It was planned 14 months ago to be at the Everyman but the pandemic put an end to that yet a determined cry could be heard: 'Out damn Covid.'
The YEP soldiered on with personnel changes along the way but decided the show will go on.
And it has worked out well with the building's iconic shell and arches adding real atmosphere while seagulls laugh overhead and beyond the railings the street sounds of sirens and traffic add more than a touch of reality to this impressive piece of work.
Verastilty is another key component of the YEP cast and crew and here a house band of musicians - some doubling up - add to the contemporay feel of this brash and bold production with original incidental music.
Inspirational Director Chris Tomlinson should be rightly proud as this confident Macbeth - coming in at just over two hours including an interval - packs a well-paced punch and allows its actors the freedom to make their mark collectively and individually.
Lighting (often overlooked in reviews) deserves praise here for some simple yet stunning effects notably the green shadows on the face of the sinister witches.
It would be unfair to single out actors from the 14 strong cast - suffice to say they really are all in it together and in the process for audiences something wickedly inventve this way comes.
4 stars
Until Sunday July 25
7.30pm and 3pm July 25
Tickets from boxoffice@everymanandplayhouse.com
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