A review by mezzosherri
Macbeth by David Hewson, A.J. Hartley

4.0

As with the similar audiobook adaptation of Hamlet I enjoyed a few months ago, Hartley and Hewson have paired strong interpretive choices with a narration/performance of EXCEPTIONAL quality (seriously--props to Alan Cumming!) to create an enjoyable, thought-provoking re-imagining of Shakespeare's famous "Scottish play." I enjoyed the authors' willingness to try and complicate Lord and Lady Macbeth's villainy by portraying them as a couple who began in a place of (mostly) good intentions and then made a series of poor choices resulting in the ultimately tragic sequence of actions. However, the sequence of bad decisions and coincidence came off as a little bit TOO coincidence-driven for my preferences. And, as with H&H's Hamlet, there was a closing "surprise reveal" that betrayed H&H trying to have it both ways with their wyrd sisters (they're super-evil! they're just misunderstood! they're proto-feminists! they're cliched sexualized objects!)--much in the same unsatisfying way they tried with Hamlet's insanity during the closing minutes of THAT audiobook.