(Poem) 'Alone' by Lauren Temple

Alone

I was always afraid to be on my own

Constantly crowded by voices including my own

Mine overlapping everyone else’s

But never on its own

I don’t know why I hid from myself

Like I did the monsters under my bed

Fell asleep straight away

Too afraid to be alone with my thoughts

Without other people I had nothing

I existed completely within their opinions of me

I was a shadow who attached themselves to other people’s bodies

Why was I so afraid of myself?

Cute little girl

Pig tails

Telling tales of fun days out

Singing songs

The whole world my audience

And I was so proud of who I was when they were looking

But it was when I had to be still

When I had to be quite

When I had to be alone

That is when I could not cope

Why?

Was it because she always played with me

so when she died

I associated any alone time with the burning pain inside my chest

Or was it because to be alone was a punishment

From my best friend

I was told to behave

Or else

I would have to be alone

And I would have to face who I was becoming

A voice so loud but silent when there was no one around to hear

So I would attach myself to my mother

My dad called me a limpet crab

Said I would love it if I could just crawl back into her belly

I replied ‘yes, I would’

Because there

attached and dependent

I would never have to be alone again

(Poem) 'My Mother' by Lauren Temple

My mother:

My mother is a photocopy of her childhood

She is the warm water before it boils

The trickling

Water like words

Flowing with relief

Soft skin scolds faster

I suppose that's why mine always burns

I favor the hot over the luke warm

My skin scared

Red flames from breath my feet

I float on fire

Dunk my head underneath

And among the flames I question why

Why is she a photocopy

Of the way she had to be

When all that’s left for me

is the opposite of my childhood

Because she was never young really

When she knows exactly how much cold

and exactly how much heat

makes the perfect recipe

Never scolds herself for the thrill of the flames like me

They turn my bones to charcoal

I burn on my own

Unlike her I can’t just be

And my mother is a photocopy of her childhood

So how did she create me

She is the water on my tongue before it dries

She can’t quench my thirst this time

Because I the fenix who burns in their own flames

But dose not rise

I the fenix that sinks benethe

Review: Macbeth -The Royal Exchange

Review

Target audience: The Guardian

Title of show: Macbeth

Theatre name: The Royal Exchange

Location: Manchester

Writer: William Shakespeare

Director: Christopher Haydon

Reviewer: Lauren Temple

Rating: * * *

The Royal Exchange’s Macbeth is madness encapsulated. Its fantastically abstract choreography and beautifully wacky sets are let down by its messy structure and unwise directorial decisions about gender casting. Christopher Haydon stages an interesting but confused modern twist on the popular Shakespearian tale of one man’s rise to power via treachery and murder. Newly imaged with a gender-flipped Macbeth, the Royal Exchange took a risk that didn’t pay off.

Lucy Ellison plays a female Macbeth, but this decision seems to do little for the play. Bar pronoun and costume changes, there is a lack of acknowledgement of the gender swap, thus Haydon is missing out on the opportunity to explore the interesting implications of representing a woman’s struggle for power. This choice also effects how we see Lady Macbeth’s character because, despite Ony Uhiara’s solid performance, her position as a strong ruthless woman in a man’s world is undermined where in this adaptation the strength of a women is a given rather than an exception. Therefore, the selling-point of this adaptation feels half-hearted.

In terms of performance, Ellison’s interpretation of Macbeth doesn’t quite meet the stage-presence necessary for such a powerful character. Instead, the greatest strength of the play lies in the side characters performances. The witches’ are disturbing, playful, and haunting. Macduff’s performance is arguably the most powerful as Paul Hickey portrays grief with the highest level of potency. But in this strength also lies the plays greatest weakness: the fact that the side characters steal the show furtherly highlights the lack of strength in Macbeth’s character, both in Ellison’s portrayal and Haydon’s misplaced choices as a director.

However, the plays strength lies in its moments of co-ordinated chaos. The set is wonderful and is complimented by scenes of abstractly choregraphed movement which come together to perfectly reflect Macbeth’s inner turmoil. But there is a jarring contrast between these exciting moments of abstract madness and the duller naturalistic scenes. Therefore, the play feels oddly put together.

Moreover, although beautiful, the visual elements of the play are often confusing because it is unclear when the play is actually set. With a mixture of modern-day military uniform, World War One looking gasmasks, and the use of swords and daggers… the imagery is too confusing for the audience to place a time period on the piece. Also, the language is kept to the Shakespearian original but with several modern-day references (including a cringeworthy nod to the Manchester band The Smiths) that feel jarring and out of place. Again, Haydon’s unwise decisions lead to confusion.

Macbeth has been brought into the 21^st century but without the powerful impact you would expect from a gender-flipped version of Shakespeare’s classic. Therefore, despite some exciting moments with staging and choreography, Haydon’s interpretations is ambitious but confused and lacking in depth.