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Almeida theatre, LondonSaoirse Ronan and James McArdle star in a production with emotional spark, palpable dread and a horrifying beautyThe psychological terror is slow to rear and does not always lie in the usual places in Yaël Farber’s take on Shakespeare’s tragedy of power, guilt and vaulting ambition. When it comes, it is brute, unrestrained and blood-curdling.Characteristically for Farber, the production focuses on atmosphere and visual aesthetics. Set in a generically modern military context, with snatches of Vera Lynn but also automatic rifles, it feels for the first half as if Tim Lutkin’s lighting, Peter Rice’s sound and Tom Lane’s composition conjure the play’s febrile momentum in lieu of the human drama, which remains a little anaemic. Continue reading...