lhmacbeth


 * Review of Macbeth **

I have long been a fan of Shakespeare's plays; even before I understood what seemed to me to be archaic language, I loved the sound with which the stories flowed and the bits and pieces that I could gather of the plot. One of my favorite destinations when I was in England a few years ago was Stratford-upon-Avon because I was thrilled to have to opportunity to stand where this great contributor to the English language and English literature once stood. Of the many plays of his that I have read, Much Ado about Nothing is my favorite due to the quick wit and clever dialogue between Beatrice and Benedick. Just a few places behind this play, however, is Macbeth.

When I was a junior in high school we read and discussed, as a class, the story of Macbeth as a cautionary tale against unquenchable thirst for power. We additionally covered implications of prophecy as an important aspect of the play. I think that Satlz’s choice to focus attention on the actions and effects of the three witches was an interesting one that gives a new perspective. Macbeth is obviously starved for power, and showing that the witches have implanted this desire in him redefines, to an extent, his role in his overall downfall. Did he bring natural consequences upon himself, or did the prophesy of the witches instigate events that lead to his villainy and eventual downfall? The audience is left to ponder all of these questions as the story progresses.

The lighting left me a bit dumbfounded as its presence and effect was more than I ever could have imagined it to be. I have severely conflicted emotions about the lighting design, but can see valid reasons for and against its particular use in this production. On the positive side of the argument, the lights were able to convey hallucinations where only solid objects or televised special effects have been able to show them previously. The use of red lighting in place of blood provided a more apparent presence on stage and allowed for easy clean up. Because blood is such a significant symbol in this play, the physical representation of the guilt that drags both Macbeth and Lady Macbeth to the grave, the fact that it is more apparent is, undoubtedly, a strength. The capability of showing the witches’ effect through the use of lights lends a more eerie sense to the play as a whole and gives more credibility to the witches’ predictions. The problem I saw with the lighting was its grandiose appearance distracted from the dialogue in several scenes and the ingeniously lit screens made it nearly impossible to pay attention to the characters’ action from time to time. Because I had seen the play previously, I was asked to explain the chain of events when the lighting had distracted my neighbor from the plot, which was very inconvenient. Had I been the director, I would have reduced the use of lighting slightly so that it would not overpower the stage action and the presence of the actors themselves.

The set, in my opinion, was only a positive force in this production. Its unique, three-part design was reminiscent of a stone castle, but with richer colors to allow for diversity of locations and to imply the wealth that Macbeth’s new positions bring to him. The levels created by the slightest movements of these large sections created a diversity of paths and crevices that provided functionality as well as a varied visual effect. The doors in each section provided an element of surprise as it was rarely apparent through which the next individual would appear or retreat. Macbeth’s death on the highest point of the platform created an epic aura about the battle and physically implied the climax of the play. I commend the set designer on creativity and imagination and could not imagine a more accommodating and versatile system.

The cast of this production was fairly good. Shakespeare’s language makes it difficult for some actors to truly make the part their own as they feel intimidated by the complex sentence structures and somewhat outdated phrases. I was incredibly impressed with the manner in which Lady Macbeth seemed to embody her character. In the moment, I truly believed that she was a ruthless, power hungry woman who would let no man, child, or creature stand in her way. Her reaction to the news of Macbeth’s death was especially fitting and incredibly believable. The actor playing Macbeth was also good, but I felt that his fluctuations from one extreme to the other, spineless to pitiless, were slightly less than believable. The witches perfectly captured the eerie and mystical spirit surrounding their characters and their unity throughout the chanting and fluid movements was remarkable. The other characters played their parts respectably, but none were notably phenomenal. Perhaps a bit more preparation and comfort with the Shakespearean lines would have allowed the actors to reach their full potentials and strike the audience with a bit more authenticity.

Overall, I enjoyed the play, especially the innovative manner in which the director employed lights and a creative set. I thought that this production gave Shakespeare’s creation an air of modernization and caught the audience’s attention with contemporary elements. While there were aspects of the play that I believed could be further developed and refined, I was satisfied with my experience and would like to thank everyone who put such tremendous effort into the show for my, and everyone else’s enjoyment.