Macbeth with David Tennant + the value of recorded Shakespeare


Hello Reader,

Two of my favourite Hamlets -- David Tennant and Cush Jumbo -- starred in a production of Macbeth last year at the Donmar Warehouse.

Fortunately, thanks to the gods of recorded theatre, you can now watch a recording of the production in cinemas this weekend.

Most major cities have screenings on Sunday. Some cities have additional screenings. Find screenings in your area here.

Why this production

Tennant is one of the great Shakespearean actors working today. He's given superlative performances as Benedick, Richard II, and of course Hamlet (all of which have been recorded!).

So it's a real occasion that he's now tackled the Scottish Play in his own accent. This particular pared-down production of Macbeth (just two hours long, a minimalist set) is very much the David Tennant show.

Why recorded Shakespeare? Why not just read it or see it live?

Today on the podcast, I discuss why this production is a must-see and why you should make time for it now and for recorded Shakespeare more generally -- even if you've already seen or read Macbeth and even if you don't identify as a Shakespeare fan.

  1. The best time to watch Shakespeare is when it's fresh.
  2. You learn something new from every Shakespeare production you see.
  3. Watching a bunch of productions of a Shakespeare play is one of the best ways to learn about directing.
  4. Watching a bunch of productions of a Shakespeare play is one of the best ways to learn about editing.
  5. Recorded theatre can be pretty ephemeral, so watch it while you can.

Episode 159: Macbeth with David Tennant + why I recommend recorded Shakespeare productions

Listen on Apple Podcasts

Listen on Spotify

Listen on your browser

Happy watching/listening!

Alex

P.S. I'm planning to offer a series of themed film workshops in the spring. I'd love your feedback!

Please fill out this quick survey (4 minutes, 4-5 questions) to let me know which ones you're interested in joining.


Don't want to receive updates on the Seventh Row Podcast?

Click here to opt out of future emails about the Seventh Row Podcast

Seventh Row

Seventh Row is a nonprofit Canadian film criticism publication and publishing house. We're dedicated to helping you expand your horizons by curating the best socially progressive films from around the world and helping you think deeply about them. This newsletter is run by Seventh Row (http://seventh-row.com) but features exclusive content not found on the website.

Read more from Seventh Row

Hello Reader, Earlier this week, I sent out a note about how most of us haven't seen as many films from Africa as we have from any other country... ...but I only briefly mentioned why that's the case. It's not because we're bad international movie lovers. It concerns how the film industry works, how African films go from festival circuit to arthouse cinemas to VOD, and how movies make it onto our radar. Episode 170: Why is it so hard to see African films? So today on the podcast, I go deep...

Hello Reader, Hit reply to let me know where you sit on Cronenberg (including, who on earth is Cronenberg anyway?)! As I talk about on today's podcast on Cronenberg's The Shrouds, I started out as a Cronenberg skeptic. What had trickled down to me about Cronenberg was that he made horror movies, often body horror movies, often about psycho-sexual things. Although I've liked plenty of films that fit into each of these categories, none of them are my go-to favourite genres. I pretty much...

Hello Reader, Last weekend, I went to see Andrew Ahn's new film The Wedding Banquet (2025) which updates and reimagines Ang Lee's 1993 queer classic for a 2025 audience. Admittedly, I was a little skeptical. Much as I liked Lee's film and Ahn's feature debut Spa Night, I wondered...do we really need to revive this rather dated story 30 years later? But I went to see it because, if nothing else, I will watch anything with Lily Gladstone (Killers of the Flower Moon, Certain Women, and Lockdown...