James McAvoy takes on Macbeth - who would be on my dream supporting cast list?
07/12/2012
Much excitement this morning when @polyg alerted me to the fact that the lovely James McAvoy was to be treading the boards next year, taking on the lead in Shakespeare's Scottish play at the Trafalgar Studios. Only six weeks ago I was saying how much I wanted to hear more of McAvoy's natural Scottish accent having seen him in a one off rehearsed reading but I wasn't expecting to get my wish quite so soon.
Director Jamie Lloyd has expressed a wish to have an entirely Scottish cast which got me thinking about who'd I'd like to see in the the key roles. Naturally I'd love, love, love to see Anne-Marie Duff star opposite her hubby as Lady M but she's not Scottish although I'm sure she'd be fab at the accent.
If Lloyd does go for all Scottish what would be the dream combo of the key characters from the wealth of talent on offer? Here's my quick and by no means extensively researched list:
Lady Macbeth
As Mr McAvoy is a spritely 33, his good lady wife needs to be of a comparable age and if we can't have Anne-Marie then I'd like it to be someone quite young, strong, ambitious and a little self important but still delicate enough to go a bit mad and distressed, someone beautiful that turned Macbeth's head. Perhaps someone like Rose Leslie.
I'd like to see one of the trainspotting boys, probably Ewen Bremmer as Ewan McGregor is a little bit too big for this part.
Macduff
Bit of a curve ball here but I'd like to see Kevin McKidd dragged back to his roots from Grey's Anatomy in the States to do something. Or another Trainspotting boy, Robert Carlyle although he may be a tad too old to work with a young Macbeth.
Three witches
Loads to choose from but I'd love to see eccentric and weird to fit with the 'dystopian separatist Scotland' Lloyd is using as the setting rather than Grimms fairytale-esque old crones. So a trio from the likes Michelle Gomez, Shirley Henderson, Sharon Small or Ashley Jenson would be on my wish list.
Duncan
Douglas Henshall has to be in it somewhere, it's not a very big part but I know he'd make a mark as the doomed King.
Lady Macduff
Kelly McDonald, a fellow Glaswegian would be up their on my list, can just see her distraught.
I don't want to think about all the people I could have had but feel free to suggest. I've purposefully not gone for David Tennant as I'd like to see him play Macbeth, a wish that may come true sooner than I imagine. Oh and just in case you were wondering, of course I've bought tickets.