THE second of the three Shakespearean tragedies the RSC is presenting at the Theatre Royal this season, Macbeth is perhaps the most popular. Certainly the house was packed and although the youngsters in the audience were excitedly noisy when the lights went down, during the performance you could have heard a pin drop.

The play opens with the three witches, chanting in electronically distorted voices which made them quite hard to follow. They meet two generals, fresh from success in battle and on their way back to the king's palace.

Greg Hicks as Macbeth and Louis Hilyer as Banquo started off delivering their lines in the clipped manner reminiscent of the late Lord Olivier's Richard III. I found this distracting but as the play developed, either I got used to it or they used it less.

Sian Thomas was powerful as Lady Macbeth, passionately in love with her ambitious husband and determined to help him succeed. Her nerve and her sanity crack, however, and her sleepwalking scene made me shiver.

Clive Wood's Macduff, the 'good guy', secured our sympathy with tearful disbelief when told of his murdered family, and was a strong presence throughout.

Greg Hicks was superb as Macbeth, confident of victory thanks to the witches' prophecies, watching incredulously as it all started to unravel. It just goes to show, it's bad luck to be superstitious.

* Runs until Saturday. Box office: 0870 905 5060

Published: 11/11/2004