Well, I’ve seen Macbeth in Japanese, Cantonese, Zulu and Polish (twice), so why not Welsh? It was also in an 850-year-old castle in the town I went to school in, so it proved impossible to resist.
We wait sitting on benches in one of three castle rooms before the witches take us up narrow winding stairs to an intimate room where the first part is staged. It’s very atmospheric and the costumes are really authentic. There’s a dramatic orchestral soundtrack which adds a regal feel. We walk the ramparts, with glimpses of the witches and the soundtrack clearly audible, to the second location, the Banqueting Hall, which provides a bigger space for sword-fights, battles and murders.
I listen to a commentary / synopsis via their app, which I felt was much better than simultaneous translation or the surtitled synopses use in the Globe to Globe season of foreign language Shakespeare productions in 2012. Though I’m not a Welsh speaker, it’s a surprisingly lucid Macbeth.
There are fine performances all round, led by Richard Lynch as Macbeth and Ffion Dafis as Lady Macbeth, though once I’d realised Lennox was the gay undertaker from Stella, I became a bit distracted – but I got over it!
I’m always fascinated seeing Shakespeare interpreted by different cultures in different languages, and it’s good to add Welsh to my collection of 37 ‘foreign’ language productions in 29 languages.
Gareth's Culture and Travel Blog 
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