A riveting sequel perfect for these uncertain times

Siward (Jonny Phillips) gets to the point with Gruach/Lady Macbeth (Siobhan Redmond) in Dunsinane
Siward (Jonny Phillips) gets to the point with Gruach/Lady Macbeth (Siobhan Redmond) in Dunsinane
RICHARD CAMPBELL

David Greig has made no bones about the fact that when he sat down to write this sequel to Macbeth, which begins more or less where Shakespeare’s play finishes, he was also thinking about the British-American invasion of Iraq. Whether it is the 11th century or the 21st, the spectacle of an invading army, with little or no understanding of the country it is invading, imposing a new regime seems unlikely to end well.

This was no mere agitprop. One of the key components of Greig’s play is Siward, the muscular, no-nonsense commander of the English army. He wants peace, and not just because it will make defending his northern border safer. He believes, wrongly as it turns out, and in stark contrast to