Though it was billed as a sequel to Shakespeare’s Macbeth, Scottish playwright David Greig‘s Dunsinane, now playing at Sidney Harman Hall, is arguably an unmistakable allegory of the West’s wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. The one-sentence Cliff Notes version: English army commander Siward arrives in a divided Scotland to install a new king and bring peace to the land, but his hubris and inability to understand the native Scots and their customs only leads to more violence, and his downfall.
While some have stated that the plot is “ferociously topical,” this (American) viewer found it anything but. Greig may have been interested in analyzing “this impulse to do good, which can often end up causing as much or, indeed, more bloodshed,” as he is quoted saying in the playbill; but with such thinly-veiled political commentary,
the elephant in the room is that we are still living out the repercussions of our wars on terrorism, and, well… it’s not crystal clear that the Scots should be left alone, so to speak.
It doesn’t help that the tone oscillates between classical drama (in the form of characters Siward and Lady Macbeth, played expertly by Darrell D’Silva and Helen Darbyshire, respectively) and Brit television comedy (in the form of Siward’s fratboy-like troops). And with a large part of the set taken up by sprawling Cathedral-style steps, the action always appears to unfold in a 
hallway.
To be sure, there are laughs to be had, and thoughts to be provoked, but this production may disappoint compared to the fantastical Grieg play staged two years ago at Bier Baron Tavern. But you’ll have to go see it to know if you agree with me.
*All images courtesy
