Lady Macbeth star Anna Maxwell Martin backs Benedict Cumberbatch’s appeal to fans to stop filming

The Macbeth actress supports Benedict Cumberbatch's disapproval of filming plays
Plea: Anna Maxwell Martin, who will star in Macbeth, says “we have lost the etiquette of theatre ”
Jonathan Hordle/REX
Robert Dex @RobDexES14 August 2015
The Weekender

Sign up to our free weekly newsletter for exclusive competitions, offers and theatre ticket deals

I would like to be emailed about offers, event and updates from Evening Standard. Read our privacy notice.

Actress Anna Maxwell Martin has backed Benedict Cumberbatch’s plea for theatregoers to put down their camera phones, saying audiences have lost their sense of etiquette.

Cumberbatch urged fans not to film his performance of Hamlet at the Barbican, because “there’s nothing that’s less enjoyable” than seeing “cameras and red lights” in the audience.

Maxwell Martin, who will play Lady Macbeth at the Young Vic from November, believes the Sherlock star was right to speak out.

Great Dane: Benedict Cumberbatch as Hamlet
Johan Persson/PA Wire

She said: “I think we’ve lost the etiquette of the theatre and I agree completely with Benedict. It is an experience that audiences have to see and keep in their memory. If he were performing Hamlet for the screen his performance would be very different.

“Although I do think this is a bit more specific in that Benedict attracts a different audience who perhaps are not as used to the theatre — but I have had mobile phones ringing and people answering them.

“I had a very famous agent, who I won’t name, answer a phone and have a conversation during the press night of Cabaret.”

In a video shot outside the stage door at the Barbican, Cumberbatch told a crowd of supporters that the filming on camera phones was “mortifying”.

“It may not be any of you here but it’s blindingly obvious,” said the actor, who is starring in a sold-out 12-week run of the play. He said the theatre would “get strict” in future, adding: “We’ve got devices coming that will have people detected and evicted.”

Maxwell Martin, 38, whose past work includes a Bafta-winning appearance in Bleak House and a role in His Dark Materials at the National Theatre, will be joined at the Young Vic by Jonathan Strange And Mr Norrell star John Heffernan as Macbeth.

The production, directed by Carrie Cracknell and Lucy Guerin, has a combined cast of actors and dancers. Maxwell Martin does not know what will be expected of her, saying: “I may very well end up looking like a total fool but I really wanted to work with Carrie and I’ve got to the age where frankly I don’t care.”

The actress said there were good roles for women but more could be done to improve the situation.

She added: “If you look at shows like Happy Valley and Line Of Duty, they have big female roles but we are a long way off equality yet on issues like equal pay.”

Macbeth runs at the Young Vic from November 26 to January 16.

Create a FREE account to continue reading

eros

Registration is a free and easy way to support our journalism.

Join our community where you can: comment on stories; sign up to newsletters; enter competitions and access content on our app.

Your email address

Must be at least 6 characters, include an upper and lower case character and a number

You must be at least 18 years old to create an account

* Required fields

Already have an account? SIGN IN

By clicking Create Account you confirm that your data has been entered correctly and you have read and agree to our Terms of use , Cookie policy and Privacy policy .

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged in