REVIEW: Thrice (Al Seed Productions)
Thrice – ★★★☆☆ – Abstract
Al Seed Productions16 - 24 Oct (Touring)
Review by Rebecca Mahar
Al Seed Productions kicks off its Scottish tour of the new work Thrice at Tramway in Glasgow, a response to Shakespeare’s Macbeth that, while skilfully performed, struggles to identify itself amidst its abstraction.
With storyboarding and direction by Al Seed and Judith Milligan, Thrice is billed as a “visual and sonic journey of movement, dance, text, and original music,” which “seeks to challenge the legacy of persecution attached to the word ‘witch,’ asking us to listen differently, and to imagine new forms of care and dignity”, an ambitious proposition which from the outset defies categorisation. This defiance is not a negative in and of itself, and indeed the choice to exist in an undefined space seems to be part of the production’s goal. The problem comes with its stated goals, none of which are met.
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A scene from Thrice: Pic: Alberto Santos Bellido
Thrice consists of an ensemble of nine women theoretically existing in the aftermath of Macbeth, a number chosen for its relevance to the Weird Sisters’ chant “Thrice to thine, and thrice to mine, / And thrice again, to make up nine. / Peace, the charm’s wound up.’,” before they first meet Macbeth. This is one of a number of lines from Shakespeare which comprise the entirety of the spoken aspect of the piece, repeated over and over by the ensemble at various points.
The ensemble re-enact various scenes from Macbeth in an abstract fashion that relies heavily on foreknowledge of the source material to understand what they are embodying and working to respond to, and at certain points to understand the words that are being spoken as they are swept up in a cacophony of voices. Another layer of difficulty to understanding the spoken elements of the piece is the addition of a pre-recorded voiceover for some lines, which is beset by a background hum and relentless mouth noises, and the use of an oppressive, throbbing bass drone which continues in the background of much of the action. Although Guy Veale’s original music is an essential aspect of Thrice, his broader sound design conflicts with clarity.
Extended movement sequences intersperse these more defined scenes, choreographed by Lina Limosani and executed with precision by the ensemble. There are points, however, at which the length of these sequences becomes detached from meaning, repetitive to the extreme in a production running just under an hour.
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A scene from Thrice: Pic: Alberto Santos Bellido
No fault for the weaknesses of Thrice lies with the ensemble, who give sustained, high-energy, precise and intent performances throughout. Visually, the world of Thrice is compelling, with costumes by Zephyr Liddell and an eerie, dance-style lighting design from Alberto Santos Bellido. The production’s set comprises a crumbling well and suspended representations of what might be trees; the former serves an interesting purpose, but the latter, though intriguing, serves little purpose beyond balancing the stage.
Rather than fulfilling its aims of challenging the legacy of the word witch and asking its audience to imagine new forms of care and dignity, Thrice presents something more like a simple alternate view of Macbeth: what the play might have looked like from the Weird Sisters’ view, or how they might relay its story. While the presence of a cylindrical object representing a crown lying on the floor from the outset indicates that the events of Macbeth have already happened, there is little else to bind Thrice to its ideals. In this case, defiance of categorisation and abstract response have drained the production of its ability to communicate the important message it desires. With further development, and refinement of production to align with purpose, Thrice has great potential for expanding the legacy Macbeth with the perspectives it aspires towards.
Running time: One hour with no interval
Time: 7pm Glasgow/Aberdeen, 7:30pm Dundee/Edinburgh
-Glasgow: Run Ended
-Aberdeen: https://www.aberdeenperformingarts.com/whats-on/dancelive-2026-thrice-al-seed-productions/
-Dundee: https://dundeerep.co.uk/events/thrice
-Edinburgh: https://www.traverse.co.uk/whats-on/thrice
Promotional image for Thrice, Al Seed Productions
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