Five reasons you should see Macbeth at Chichester Festival Theatre

1. If (like me!) you happen to think that Life On Mars is one of the greatest TV series ever made, then take the chance to see its star John Simm in another guise, showing himself to be one of our finest Shakespearean actors in a performance which grows and grows with huge power.

2. A terrific performance from Simm as Macbeth demands something equally special from his Lady Macbeth, and it gets it with a remarkable performance from Dervla Kirwan. The madness scene becomes unforgettable in Dervla’s hands.

3. See this show if you love Shakespeare, but maybe there’s even more reason to see this show if you are a little bit iffy about Shakespeare. If you’re worried you’re going to lose the plot within minutes, remember that this is Shakespeare at his most direct, compelling and visceral. Yes, it’s a tragedy, but much more than that, it’s a thriller. Certainly not a whodunnit. We definitely know whodunnit! But the power of the piece lies in the unravelling of it all as guilt unhinges ambitious minds.

4. Get your tickets to see Macbeth if you want to see striking staging. It all unfurls on a glass stage. The lighting effects and the reflections are sensational. Video projections add to the modernity of this revival of an ageless classic.

5. See this show if you want to be challenged in terms of casting. This is blind casting… casting not on the basis of sex or colour of skin, but casting based on the actor’s rightness for the part. It will certainly set you thinking.

See Macbeth at Chichester Festival Theatre until October 26.