Macbeth: Blood and Bluegrass
★★★★☆ Invigorating
theSpace @ Surgeons’ Hall (Venue 38): Fri 7 – Sat 29 Aug 2026
Review by Bri Boehm.
Kiwi outfit The Barden Party return to the Fringe with their foot-stomping, heart-pounding musical rendition of Macbeth at Surgeons’ Hall in preparation for what is bound to be a triumphant tour of Scotland.
Macbeth: Blood and Bluegrass transforms the well-known tragedy into a campfire tale; the witches’ cauldron – a drum – serving as the fire, complete with folksy sing-alongs to acoustic guitars, joke-filled banter, and ghost stories.
A scene from The Barden Party’s Macbeth: Blood and Bluegrass. Pic: Steffen Taylor.
The front half of the performance embraces the comedic element often neglected in Macbeth, spurring the audience into raucous laughter and joyful song, before descending into darkness and tragedy.
Casting is gender-blind, which proves a tricky method for a play that thematically explores gender roles. The Barden Party’s strategy to this is to ignore rather than confront which causes some moments of noticeable friction between performance and text (Lady M’s ‘unsex me here’ monologue is a prime example). Though visually interesting movement and other such distractions serve as a sparkly bandaid to cover up these thematic wounds in such moments.
tense and compelling
Despite the gender complications, the performances from the cast are stellar. Laura Irish, the founder and artistic director of the company, plays a tense and compelling Macbeth, eager to prove herself and constantly teetering on an edge. And Ollie Howlett’s Lady Macbeth is haunted with ambition and desperation.
Macduff (Caleb James) is a perfect foil, actionable instead of anxious, and Malcolm (Isabella Aarons) sits firmly between the rivals, righteous like Macduff yet brimming with something unsettling that recalls Macbeth’s intensity.
A scene from The Barden Party’s Macbeth: Blood and Bluegrass. Pic: Steffen Taylor.
Last but not least, the witches (Caleb James, Aidan Elliot, Matt Bruce) are utter dynamite, tugging the audience forward in their seats with each feature. Although they are slightly underutilised beyond their specific scenes, part of this can be blamed on the Bard’s writing and the inevitable downside of double casting.
Unfortunately, despite the characters being well-defined, due to the speed of the show and the use of song to focus on character mentality and circumstance, the chemistry between the characters is left slightly underbaked.
The show’s design plays with liminal ambiguity of setting. The costumes gesture towards medieval Scotland and Americana, corsets and tartan on display alongside cowboy hats and denim. These costumes, as well as minimal set and props offer a malleability to the stage, allowing easy moments of superimposed imagery and flexibility of space.
ad libs
The most impressive part of this production is its successful application of a Shakespeare production taboo: ad libs. Ad libs are famously a tough sell amongst Shakespearean theatre – as many Shakespeare performers will tell you: any sentiments should fit into the lines at hand. But the ad libs align with the temporally blurred nature of the production, highlight the comedic moments of the text, and are just downright hysterical. Gabby Anderson’s well-timed, side-splitting quips as Duncan and the Porter make up for any sin committed against Shakespeare traditionalists.
A scene from The Barden Party’s Macbeth: Blood and Bluegrass. Pic: Steffen Taylor.
In regards to the added musical numbers; the chosen songs vary in terms of dramaturgical strength. Most of these numbers delve deeper into moments of character reflection and emotion and struggle to move the story along, but a few numbers elevate the scenes at hand.
Notable standout songs include: Wagon Wheel, used to create a lively party environment against which the Macbeths’ violent plotting is set, and Northern Attitude by Noah Kahan, a thematically powerful and cathartic soundtrack to the ultimate battle. All the songs provide a cinematic depth and singularly curate the signature Barden Party atmosphere, giving the show that unique campfire sing-a-long texture.
Despite the few dramaturgical complications, from start to finish, Macbeth: Blood and Bluegrass is a party that will keep you stomping your feet and hooting and hollering from the opening number to the inevitable standing ovation.
Running time: One hour and 25 minutes (no interval).
theSpace @ Surgeons’ Hall (Grand Theatre), Surgeons Quarter, Nicolson Street EH8 9DW (Venue 53).
Friday 7 – Saturday 19 August 2026.
Daily (Not 12, 19 or 25): 3.55pm.
Tickets and details: Book here at EdFringe.com.
Tickets direct from venue: Book here.
The Barden Party’s website: thebardenparty.com
Facebook: @thebardenparty
Instagram: @thebardenparty
Macbeth: Blood and Bluegrass Scottish tour September 2026
Dumfries Theatre Royal
Tuesday 1 September 2026
One performance: 8pm.
Tickets and details: Book here.
Cottiers in Glasgow
Wednesday, 2 September 2026
One performance: 8pm.
Tickets and details: Book here.
The Bute Yard on The Isle of Bute
Thursday, 3 September 2026
One performance: 6.30pm.
Tickets and details: Book here.
The Lemon Tree in Aberdeen
Friday, 4 September 2026
One performance: 7pm.
Tickets and details: Book here.
Village Hall in Kemnay
Saturday, 5 September 2026
One performance: 7.30pm.
Tickets and details: Book here.
Village Hall in Johnshaven
Sunday, 6 September 2026
One performance: 9pm.
Tickets and details: Book here.
The Little Theatre in Nairn
Monday 7/Tuesday 8 September 2026
Evenings: 7.30pm.
Tickets and details: Book here.
Birnam Arts Centre in Birnam Dunkeld
Thursday, 10 September 2026
One performance: 8pm.
Tickets and details: Book here.
Adam Smith Theatre in Kirkcaldy
Saturday, 12 September 2026
One performance: 7pm.
Tickets and details: Book here.
A scene from The Barden Party’s Macbeth: Blood and Bluegrass. Pic: Steffen Taylor.
ENDS
