EDFRINGE REVIEW: Macbeth: Blood and Bluegrass (The Barden Party)

Macbeth: Blood and Bluegrass – ★★★★½ – Innovative

The Barden Party
7-29 Aug
Review by Rebecca Mahar
 
Returning from Aotearoa New Zealand after a triumphant 2025 EdFringe run, The Barden Party’s Macbeth: Blood and Bluegrass blazes through an adaptation of Shakespeare’s Macbeth that blends music, modernity, and command of the original text into a gripping new approach to an old story.

Laura Irish as Macbeth. Pic: Steffen Taylor.

After the speedy recitation of a te reo Māori prayer, the company launches straight into the action. Queen Duncan receives Sergeant Macduff who tells of Macbeth’s victory on the battlefield —“brave Macbeth, well she deserves that name”— followed quickly by the arrival of the lizardlike weird brothers in denim vests, and the genderslipperiness of the show is as firmly established as the story. 
 
The show is not completely gender-swapped, with some roles such as Banquo retaining their traditional presentations, nor are those that have been changed commented upon explicitly. Titles and pronouns are simply adjusted, and the audience allowed to consider for themselves what those changes might mean, particularly in a play such as Macbeth where gender is a notable aspect of certain characters and their relationships. Lady Macbeth (in this instance, Macbeth’s nameless husband) repeatedly questions Macbeth’s manhood in the original; these instances are cut, but the “unsex me here” speech remains, making for interesting implications on the nature of manhood and witchcraft in the dramatic world of Blood & Bluegrass. 

The weird brothers and Hecate. Pic: Steffen Taylor.

Although these ideas of gender are not necessarily explored as deeply as they could be, Barden Party’s approach works, committing to a world in which these are the people occupying these roles. Similarly, their use of modern language quips and jokes also lands without grating. These additions simply slide in naturally alongside the mostly-unaltered (apart from cutting for time) Shakespearean text; and where the original text has been altered, in instances such as “how now, you secret black and midnight lads,” these changes too are well integrated. 
 
Integration is at the heart of the show’s success. The language throughout is handled with equal ease, whether it’s verse or prose or modern addition, a place where many productions attempting to modernise Shakespeare fall flat. The live music that drives the production is equally well integrated, and where there are places in the script that the completeness of story or the relationships between characters falls slightly short for reasons of brevity, the music smooths them over. Each song is chosen to progress to story and give insight into its characters, with particular highlights in the use of Mumford & Sons “Broken Crown” and, in the final climatic battle between Macbeth and Macduff, Noah Kahan’s “Northern Attitude” (though sadly without the signature “Hozier yell,” which could has served Macduff well). 

Caleb James as Macduff. Pic: Steffen Taylor.

The Barden Party are a company of actor-musicians with a clear vision and exceptional execution, bleeding heart and soul across the stage with driving energy from start to finish. Macbeth: Blood and Bluegrass is a clear, confident spin in Shakespeare that makes it unquestionably their own.
 
Running time: One hour and twenty-five minutes with no interval
Venue: Grand Theatre at theSpace @ Surgeon’s Hall (Venue 53), Surgeon’s Quarter, Nicolson St EH8 9DW
7-29 August 2026 (not 12, 19, 25)
Time: 3:55pm
Tickets: https://www.edfringe.com/tickets/whats-on/macbeth-blood-and-bluegrass

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