Thrice
★★★☆☆ Intense
Traverse: Fri 23 – Sat 24 Oct 2026
Review by Sophie Good
Thrice, stopping for two performances only at the Traverse at the end of a short Scottish tour, presents nine witches (three times three) in the aftermath of Macbeth
It is a visually arresting physical theatre piece, created by the trio of Scottish theatre-maker, Al Seed, Paris-based director, Judith Milligan, and Australian choreographer, Lina Limosani.
Thrice from Al Seed Productions. Pic: Alberto Santos Bellido.
The large cast move beautifully, seamlessly, serene but also filled with rage as they lament in Macbeth’s bloody aftermath.
The performers, all bare foot and dressed in muted, natural hues designed by Zephyr Liddell are from the historical past but non specific. At times they are like echoes of the groups of women in The Crucible, their hair covered and looking out at other-worldly visions.
They move, sometimes as one mass and at other times as trios or creating short vignettes, someone is crowned, someone else falls after an attack. Sequences are repeated, recreated and become cyclical and ritualistic.
atmospheric and open ended
They lament, using some of Shakespeare’s most famous and loaded lines ‘Fair is foul and foul is fair’ which take on new meaning in this all woman ensemble.
The set design is sombre and barren, a little Beckett-esque in it’s tone and serving to create a sense of being frozen in time. Its reflective almost latex floor and a half built well are atmospheric and open ended.
Thrice from Al Seed Productions. Pic: Alberto Santos Bellido.
Guy Veale’s music and soundscape deserves particular praise here, it is everything in this piece – an intense mix of beats and music which drums out the mood of building rage and momentum.
The only other sounds are the scant lines from Macbeth, used sparingly and without any hierarchy or specific parts. They are used as a thematic prompt rather than for storytelling purposes. There is much that is cyclical in Seed’s production.
The dancers move around and around, repeating sequences and appearing at times to end up as disembodied spinning creatures, like satellites sent into space.
a visceral sense of rage and strength
The nine women perform with real intention and a visceral sense of rage and strength. Their intention could be opened up the audience more, to invite them into the world that they inhabit, to understand more of what the piece is saying.
So much of this piece is cyclical: there is no beginning or end; nor are there any answers or sense of closure. The performers sway and walk, there is a sense of loss, something has changed but also remains the same. There is much to admire – the commitment and the atmosphere it creates.
Thrice is visually a very beautiful and well executed piece of theatre, so serious and so full of rage – but without explaining where it wants that rage to go.
Running time: 50 minutes (No interval).
Traverse (Trav 1), 10 Cambridge Street, EH1 2ED.
Friday 23/Saturday 24 October 2026.
Daily: 7.30pm .
Tickets and details: Book here.
Al Seed website: alseed.net/
Facebook: @AlSeedProductions
Instagram: @alseedproductions
Linktree: @alseedproductions.
Thrice from Al Seed Productions. Pic: Alberto Santos Bellido.
ENDS
