jgMacbeth

Macbeth
 It is doubtful that most high school students will make it to graduation without having read at least one of Shakespeare’s works. Though I have read Hamlet, I have not had any experience with //Macbeth//. I knew I would be in for a treat the moment I saw the modernized stage. Even with the foreknowledge about the high-tech elements, tradition prevailed when //Macbeth// was introduced as “The Scottish Play.”

 A million things could be said of the Great Shakespeare. Thousands of essays have sought out to understand him, explain him, and discuss his numerous works. Like those many people seeking to analyze Shakespeare, I have always enjoyed Shakespeare’s work. If only for an hour or two can be transported to a world where sarcasm is presented in beautiful Old English. Because //Macbeth// continues to be performed well after it was written, I believe that it exemplifies the genius of Shakespeare. In addition, I enjoyed the script. For people who do not like Shakespeare, I would highly recommend hearing his works because the meat of script tends to make more sense with the emphatic pauses and articulations.

 Though an analysis of the entire plot of //Macbeth// is beyond the scope of this paper, it is worth noting how well the production integrated the story with the technology in order to complement the plot and not overshadow it. I felt like this allowed the focus of the show to be that of the plot and the dilemma of Macbeth and Lady Macbeth. The technological elements were a refreshing approach that did not steal the show. In addition, the technological elements of the curtains and costumes added to the overall mood and tone of the show. While the consequences of Macbeth’s actions are serious, the cast balanced the emotional and serious scenes well with the comic relief scenes, such as that with the drunk house lady.

 I thought the actors selected for this performance were very good choices. I did not detect typecasting in the selections. Additionally, I thought that each actor held a good stage presence for their individual parts. I particularly liked the three witches, or the weird sisters, because even though they did not really speak I felt like they were perfectly eerie. I also really liked the girl cast as Lady Macbeth. I thought that she delivered the hand washing scene very brilliantly. Even while the doctor spoke during the scene, Lady Macbeth’s eyes delivered an incredible sense of trauma. However, in some cases I couldn’t clearly hear the actors. When the actors would be having conversations amongst themselves, especially when there were just two actors on stage, I could only catch a few words of the exchange even though I was sitting relatively close to the stage. I would have liked to be able to hear more of the show without feeling like I was straining my ears.

 I loved the stage. I thought that the moving parts of the stage were brilliant. With the three parts of the stage moving in different configurations it reminded me of the staircases in the Harry Potter movies. I thought the three building sections were a very good idea in order to convey all the different sets. I think it also helped the audience keep up with all the different places for the scenes. I found it very easy to follow, and I started to anticipate seeing which part of the building would move next. I did notice that the section farthest right would rub and make noise when the middle section and it passed. I imagine that this would have been difficult to fix after having built the entire piece. However, I think that the different levels, doors, and moving parts made up for the tiny construction flaw.

 The costumes chosen for this show were very interesting and thought provoking. I thought that the costumes were innovative. I did not like what looked like back braces on the many of the female characters. While most of the male characters had what looked like armor, the back braces on the women bothered me. In a way I felt the braces were almost stating that the women had no backbone. However, I thought the use of the lights in the costumes was very effective. It was as though you could see the good or evil intentions in the characters based on the use of red or green light. The use of the red and green light was balanced though- not overused and not underused. The witches’ costumes were by far the best. In my opinion, their costumes seemed like a blend between a futuristic look and nuns. On the contrary though, King Duncan’s cloak looked a little too much like the rugs in my mom’s laundry room for me to see it as a royal costume. Otherwise I thought that the appropriate for each character.

 The electronic curtains used with the music amplified the entire sound element of the show. I have never seen anything like the lighted curtains. I enjoyed that music was used minimally so that the actors could be heard more readily despite not being able to really hear them. I wish that some of the more elaborate pictures such as the sword and the faces would have been clearer on the curtains, they sort of resembled old action video game images, but I think that the technology involved will only continue to advance.

 I thoroughly enjoyed seeing this production of //Macbeth.// I thought that utilizing technology in a new way was a really good avenue to travel in order to reach a broader audience. I would have liked for the characters to be louder, but all in all I thought that the cast, producer, and director all did a good job putting together this show. I hope that the department will continue to look for innovative ways to take classics modern in order to capture the interest of young people.