IF James Carter had taken the professional route as an actor, I have no doubt that he would be a knight of the theatre, by now. As Sir James Carter he would be gazed at in awe by the latest intake of young actors at the RSC. All the plum character parts in BBC costume dramas would be his for the taking.

As it is, he has distinguished the Southend amateur stage for many years, in on an exceptional range of parts. The title role in Macbeth marks a highpoint, even by his standards.

This theatre-in-the-round production for Southend Shakespeare Company contains many riches, but Sir James's performance is the anchor point.

Careful thought has clearly gone into the way that he tackles the role, and, particularly, in the way he speaks Shakespeare's words. Note, in particular, the way this actor delivers the payoff to Macbeth's famous nihilist dismissal of life: “A tale told by an idiot … signifying nothing,”

Macbeth's migration from honest soldier to evil tyrant offers plenty of scope for scenery-chewing, for those who choose the histrionic approach. By contrast, this is a Macbeth of restraint. From his first line, you are aware of Macbeth's authority, charisma, and intelligence. This is a general who has no need to raise his voice. It makes Macbeth's final roaring descent into Hell all the more harrowing.

This memorable Macbeth is paired with Joanne Seymour in a deeply touching interpretation of Lady Macbeth. Initially quite sympathetic, she is a woman torn with grief at the death of her children. But like her husband, she is plunging into hell. Seymour ably conveys Lady Macbeth's journey from wounded victim to murderous harridan, and from there to madness and suicide.

There is strong back-up from the rest of the cast, notably from Dave Lobley as Macbeth's nemesis Macduff, a restless man tormented by his betrayal of his wife and children. Elliot Bigden makes an excellent fist of Malcolm, the good guy king, This is no easy task, since the priggish Malcolm can look rather dull, sharing the stage as he does with all those witches and murderers.

The production also boasts an extraordinary feat of acrobatic malevolence from Alex Milbank as the witches' overseer, Hecate. In some ways, he is the dominant force of this production, flitting in and out of scenes, exuding a vapour-trail of evil. His final, leering, face-to-face confrontation with Macbeth, at Macbeth's moment of death, is a terrific coup de theatre.

Some relief from the sustained nightmare is provided by John Newell as the drunken night-porter, and by not just three, but four, sexy lady witches (Tracey Anne Bourne, Vanessa Osborn, Megan Condon and Kim Tobin). Nevertheless, the overall mood music of the production is summed up by the line: “I have supped full with horrors”.

Director Madeleine Ayres's keeps the pace at fast forward and the movement action-packed. The production retains its grip on your throat, even during the notoriously static and waffly scene between King Malcolm and MacDuff. There is another powerful element at work, in the shape of Peter Finlay's lighting. Low, overhead sconces work to convey the chill misery of medieval Scottish castles. But Mr Finlay's most ingenious wheeze consists of the low-level red lights (shining from beneath the audience) to evoke Hell – the flaming underworld that waits to swallow the characters.

A fine production, then, in all respects, but also a harrowing one. Once it was over, I needed a good dose of another fine Scotch production to steady my nerves.

Macbeth

Palace Theatre (Dixon Studio), Westcliff

Nightly at 7.45pm, until Sat Dec 2, mat Sat

ALL PRODUCTIONS NOW SOLD OUT.