King Macbeth Studio One, Staffordshire University

THE much-maligned Lady Macbeth has traditionally come in for a bad press. Blame it on Shakespeare.

His play portrayed a woman driven by her desire for power who convinces her husband to kill for what he wants.

Together they hatch a plot to dispatch the elderly and venerable King Duncan as he lies in his bed and Macbeth is crowned the ruler of Scotland.

In the Bard's version of events, Macbeth's queen gets her comeuppance.

Consumed with guilt, she turns mad and, haunted by Duncan's ghost, ultimately commits suicide. So much for ambition.

But Deborah McAndrew's new play goes some way to restoring Lady Macbeth's good name and that of her husband's.

Commissioned by the Potteries-based Reveal Theatre Company, and directed by Robert Marsden, King Macbeth received its premiere at Staffordshire University's Studio One on Saturday.

This production is partly about setting the record straight.

Actress turned playwright McAndrew revisited the available historical sources and decided Shakespeare's version did not sit easily with what little is known about the real-life 11th century Scottish king.

And, thanks to McAndrew's powerful script, Macbeth (Scottish actor Angus King) is transformed into a charismatic general, a leader of men who is betrayed by his family and racked with grief after the death of his father.

Duncan (Dominic Meir), too, is not the wise old soul of the Shakespearian text; he is a thoroughly nasty character who will stop at nothing to achieve his goals.

There is a nod to Shakespeare, through the occasional use of rhyming couplets, but McAndrew instead chooses to use a blend of contemporary language which allows the audience to quickly become absorbed in Macbeth's world.

Lady Macbeth (Emma Laidlaw), or Lady Gruoch as she is here, is still ambitious, but her motives are noble. Perhaps.

It is a testament to McAndrew's skill as a writer that there is still a lingering ambivalence around Gruoch's actions, as understandable as these might be in the context of war and fear for the life of her own son.

At 75 minutes and with no interval, it is an intense, raw affair and, for that reason, King Macbeth will not be for everybody.

Still, the three actors and the highly effective set design breathe life into a set of historical figures who are every bit as intriguing and complex as Shakespeare's more well-known creations.

King Macbeth is at Studio One, Staffordshire University, off College Road, Stoke, tomorrow, at 7.30pm; Thursday and Friday, at 2.30pm; and Saturday, at 7.30pm. Tickets start from £5.

To book and for details, call the box office on 01782 294871.

Zita Collinson