Director Lucy Pitman-Wallace describes her idea of a "traditional" Macbeth set against a "wild, strange landscape," and a desire to balance the play's visceral core with its supernatural elements is the driving force behind this energetic and entertaining production. Designer Lucy Osborne has created a stunning set which captures this dynamic; at once earthy and otherworldly, it frames the action impressively and provides a compellingly atmospheric space within which Pitman-Wallace's vision can thrive. Unfortunately, for all its energy, this vision seems compromised by the overall quality of the production.

A truly great show constantly lurks just out of view, glimpsed in frequent but frustratingly brief flashes. Many of these moments arise from the remarkable chemistry between the two leads: Liam Brennan and Allison Mckenzie sizzle when sharing the stage, making their joint scenes a joy to watch and creating a convincing sexual energy around the murderous couple. Similarly captivating are Christopher Brand's Macduff and Claire Brown's Lady Macduff, who bring a refreshing humanity to their roles. Brown's scene with her son (Joanne Cummins) is an unexpected highlight. Bizarre cross-casting, however, creates some mixed performances: while Jimmy Chisholm's Porter is fantastically energetic, his Duncan is at times barely audible and surprisingly flat. The Witches (Claire Brown, Joanne Cummins and Pauline Lynch) are similarly disappointing, proving too fidgety to create any real sense of power or dread.

This trend within the cast mirrors the show's own schizophrenic quality. There are moments of brilliance, particularly in the later appearances of Banquo's ghost, but for every excellent monologue or piece of inventive staging, the audience struggles with the production's equally poor elements. The fight scenes in particular feel clumsy and unrealistic; far from evoking the blood-drenched battlefields of medieval Scotland, instead they bring to mind school stage combat workshops. In a similar fashion the cheesy and cheap-sounding soundtrack ruins any sense of realism that is created.

Despite these issues, this is an incredibly watchable and entertaining production but one which fails to live up to the promise of its better moments. Its ideas and potential are persistently haunted by the ghost of their execution.