When the curtain closes at the end of the Shakespeare Theatre's performance of Macbeth, the audience lets out a sigh of relief that the theatre has neither erupted in flames nor suffered the death of one of its actors or had a dangerous dagger skid across the floor. The Scottish play, which thespians dub one of the Bard's most bloody works, has an inauspicious reputation for inevitable, sometimes deadly, accidents. Luckily for the audience, the Shakespeare Theatre keeps the terror and gore of its performance securely behind the imaginary fourth wall of the stage.
That doesn't mean, however, that the audience isn't cowering in its seats. This isn't the boring version of Macbeth that you read in sophomore English. From the opening, when the three evil weird sisters, decked in thick black robes that appear to be splattered with blood, first prophecy Macbeth's future reign as Thane of Cawdor and then King of Scotland, to the concluding scene when the victorious Macduff enters with the tyrant's head on a stick, the fear gushes through the play just like it pours out of King Duncan's wound.
Patrick Page's masterful performance as the title character carefully traces the effect the desire for power has on Macbeth's mind. The audience witnesses the loyal, courageous Macbeth, returning from battle, slowly let the witches' prophecies supplant his own intuition. Although initially shocked at murdering Duncan, Page transforms his Macbeth into a ruthless, unsentimental ruler who orders the killing of anyone who might present a threat to his stolen throne, including his former friend and partner Banquo and Macduff's wife and children.
The battles staged for these deaths are an example of stage combat at its boldest: shining, slim swords cut and clash as actors parry, thrust and cry out in rage. Although the fighting does not dominate the play, it adds a level of violence and realism to the action, aiding the audience to better visualize the full extent of the destruction Macbeth is wreaking on Scotland.
Yet, King Duncan would still sit peacefully upon the throne had not Lady Macbeth, played by Kelly McGillis, convincingly and maliciously urged her husband to sheath the dagger in the late king's chest. Kelly McGillis embodies the drive of her character expertly, delicately playing upon the insecurities of her husband, calling him a coward and persuading him that the "manly" course of action is to murder Duncan in cold blood. And although McGillis shows the audience the controlled, calculating facet of Lady Macbeth, she also, like her husband, progressively succumbs to madness. Rubbing furiously at her dress, McGillis screams the famous "Out, out damn spot!" line with unsurpassable fear and frustration.
Even a play with great acting, however, can fall flat on its face if the set design and lighting do not set the correct mood. Fortunately, the supernatural, mysterious ambiance of the Shakespeare Theatre's Macbeth exceeds its purpose of creating a mere setting: it is piece of art in and of itself. The stage floor is composed of translucent white squares, about five feet each in area, lighted from within by a ghostly pale glow. A rectangular box of thin, 20-foot silver metal poles sits to the back right of the stage, from which shady gray screens painted over with wiry black trees can be suspended. Often, light will cast haunting shadows on the screens of hanging bodies, devils or marching armies. The stage is either lit in dim tones, often rimming only one or two characters during private scenes, or glaring bright white during public scenes. Simple props are moved on and off, but the set remains a singular frozen beauty upon which the actors play out the drama of Macbeth.
Beautifully acted in a world of terror, fear and ambition, Macbeth is a performance not to be missed. Besides thanking their lucky stars that they're not injured at the end of the show, the audience will also curse their sophomore English teachers for ever making them think Shakespeare could possibly be dull.
Macbeth runs until October 24, 2004, at the Shakespeare Theatre, in Washington, D.C. For tickets, call the box office at 202-547-1122 or visit http://www.shakespearetheatre.org. Student tickets are half price.
Sally Lanar. Sally Lanar finally is, after four long years, a senior in the CAP. When not canvasing Blair Blvd or the SAC for sources, she enjoys reading, writing short stories and poems and acting. She is also a self-declared francophile and would vouch for a French … More »
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