Macbeth, A Review

As a virgin to The Shakespeare Theatre, I was pleasantly surprised when my recent encounter with Macbeth was a stimulating and enjoyable excursion. The two and a half hours I had predicted to be less than enchanting were filled with symbolism, and an overall attitude towards the Shakespeare classic that I had never contemplated before.

Upon entering the theatre, the audience was confronted with a stark stage, boasting only a large hollow cube with a single, leafless tree standing alone within it. The stark set was relatively consistent throughout the play, allowing the audience to focus on the characters. Another effective set design choice occurs when Macbeth was crowned King, and he and Lady Macbeth sat down on their throne. The throne was made of two black, straight-backed and armless chairs, with a single light dangling over them. Eerily, it was reminiscent of an interrogation room you would find in a prison, or even electric chairs, the perfect throne for a couple of murderers. Later, the throne was moved inside of the cube, separating the Macbeth's from their guests during their feast. Other effective uses of the set design included the use of curtains to allude to shadows and spirits, and the single flight of stairs which emerged to let us know when we were in the house of Macbeth.

The actors were even more enchanting than the mysterious set designs. The role of Lady Macbeth, normally played by Kelly McGillis, was played by Michelle Shupe, who did a wonderful job of torturing herself with her guilty conscience and bloodstained hands. The connection that she and Macbeth (Patrick Page) maintained throughout the play was phenomenal. Upon reading Macbeth, it would simply be impossible to grasp the level of chemistry ...

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...e presence of Sign Performers, who made the play come to life for the deaf members of the audience, was thoughtfully constructed and gave off an impressive first impression. The entire ambiance was second only to the performance, full of subtle twists and symbolic images that, had I not entered the theatre, I would never have dwelled upon otherwise. Michael Kahn and the entire Macbeth ensemble took my views on the play to new heights. They were able to expertly capture Shakespeare's "Scottish Play," and all of the evil within it. In two and a half hours, I was cringing, smiling, guessing, worrying, and generally just stimulated by the glorious presentation of the conflict that makes Macbeth one of the most popular Shakespearean plays. I may have been a Shakespeare Theatre virgin when I entered the building, but I certainly plan on returning to future performances!