Dine out on Shakespeare (From Western Telegraph)

Dine out on Shakespeare

Pembroke Castle was the ideal backdrop for Shakespeare's Macbeth - a chilling tale of good and evil, murder, madness and revenge.

Picnics and the odd glass of wine or two were the pre-cursor to a fine performance on a stunning summer's evening.

Wandering minstrels and period choral music heralded the start of the performance by The Lord Chamberlain's Men. An all-male company, directed by Lucy Pitman-Wallace, the actors - with their quick role changes - were excellent.

Macbeth is the shortest of Shakespeare's plays and is a fast, pacy affair. With just seven cast members there must have been frantic costume changes behind the scenes but the comings and goings on stage ran smoothly, with perfect timing.

For me, standing out head and shoulders above the rest, both literally and in performance stature, was Garry Jenkins as Lady Macbeth.

The descent from strong, ambitious wife to a woman wracked by guilt and madness was perfectly portrayed and as I'd imagined as a teenager reading Macbeth in English lessons. The witches were also suitably dark and menacing.

And the use of the stage was outstanding, with three levels and trapdoors giving that extra dimension.

Adding to the dark, brooding atmosphere were the booming echoes of the drums, as crows and, later in the evening bats, could be seen circling the castle turrets.