It’s a weird thing to say about a Shakespearean tragedy but this collaboration between Utopia Theatre and Sheffield Theatres is a joy.

If Hamnet left you feeling devastated, go and see this because it will build you back up. Set in 19th-century Yorubaland and directed by Mojisola Kareem, Crown of Blood is a rich, vibrant retelling of Shakespeare’s Macbeth that makes you feel alive and in touch with the spirit world, all at once.

Spirits, deities, cosmology and traditions are of vital importance in the society of this play. They provide the moral frameworks which shape decisions and destinies and bring ritual, music, poetry, ancestral memory and dance into the everyday. Magnificent costume and set design by Kevin Jenkins brings much of this to life, as does the stunning voice and musical direction of Kayefi Osha.

Whether or not the humour in Shakespearean tragedy is allowed to show itself is largely up to the production, with some adaptations opting for po-faced and super serious so as not to detract from the grief-porn. I’m of the opinion that it’s always better to have both the light and shade together if you can. Thankfully, there’s a decent dose of humour in this production, which I appreciated on a drizzly Tuesday night.

The tale of unchecked political ambition and descent into tyranny is horribly relevant, of course. At the end of the play and countless dead bodies later, when the court historian is urged to ‘leave nothing out’ so that the bloody rise and fall of a dictatorship can be remembered and therefore not repeated, you can sense everyone in the audience nodding.

Oyebisi, played by Kehinde Bankole, is the Lady Macbeth figure in this retelling and has a much bigger say in shaping events – speaking to the pivotal role that women have always played in Yoruba society, according to Crown of Blood’s writer, Oladipo Agboluaje. Bankole as Oyebisi is entirely compelling. She’s absolutely fierce, as most Lady Macbeths are, but the part is much more nuanced than the original telling, meaning that she must take on something far more complex. She accomplishes this brilliantly.

Deyemi Okanlawon as Aderemi, the Macbeth character, becomes bewitched, possessed and obsessed, and I was totally sold. A long-time lover of all things otherworldly, I adored the creepy magic element of this production, and Okanlawon did demonic perfectly.

Based in Sheffield, Utopia Theatre is bold, creative and community-driven, empowering African communities and emerging artists. When the end result is a production like this, it demonstrates what an amazing an asset they are for the city. Support them, and Sheffield Theatres, by seeing this while you can – it’s on until February 7.

By Amy Stone, Sheffield Correspondent

Main image: photo by Robling Photography

 

Crown of Blood is at Sheffield Crucible until February 7, 2026. For more information, click here.