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'Macbeth' brewing with evil at Actors' Summit
Shakespearean
tragedy finds new resonance in Hudson as 'really good creep fest'
By
Kerry Clawson Published
on An eerily thrilling tone pervades
Actors' Summit's Macbeth, from the opening percussive chorus that the
whole cast creates to the play's final moments, as the three sinister witches
beckon a new young king offstage. Director Neil Thackaberry and musical
director Daniel Taylor have created a remarkably dramatic opening, with Sally
Groth playing a harmonium before the whole cast moves into a percussive segment
with the help of drums, walking staffs and other tools, punctuated by battle
cries to introduce Scotland at war. In this Shakespearean tragedy, the war
hero Macbeth is favored by King Duncan. Then Macbeth hears a prophecy of what he
believes to be his royal destiny from three witches, sending him on a
supernatural course toward destruction. As Macbeth, Thackaberry has such a
gloomy intensity from the start, we see how this nobleman's dark nature emerges
so quickly that he is unable to control his ''black and deep desires.''
It's also a treat to see Thackaberry
star opposite wife MaryJo Alexander as Lady Macbeth. She's a fiendishly sexy
queen, clad in a low-cut black dress with just the right sparkle and red satin
lining to suggest royalty. This couple's passionate kisses fit in with Lady
Macbeth challenging her husband's manliness as she pushes him toward
bloodthirsty deeds. The men wear a lot of loose tunics with
belts in this play. Later, a short, shiny green jacket on Young Siward (John
Galbraith) looks surprisingly incongruous — more fit for a Vegas act than a
battle scene. In Macbeth, Shakespeare's
shortest tragedy, the director's goal was to hold the audience's interest while
creating ''some really good poetry.'' Actors' Summit succeeds on both counts
with this production, which features the largest cast of its season.
Terry Burgler, co-founder of the Ohio
Shakespeare Festival, offers one of the play's few scenes of levity as Macbeth's
clownish, hungover porter. Most of the actors do well with Shakespeare's
rhythms, making the text understandable while keeping up a quick pace.
This murder, mayhem and stage fighting
will be enjoyed by more than adult audiences: With the help of a GAR Foundation
grant, Macbeth also will be presented in five school performances.
Alexander has described the show as a
''really good creep fest,'' which includes Banquo's gruesome ghost (Geoffrey
Darling) at the dinner table. The only goofy gore comes at the end, when a
fake-looking decapitated head is presented on a stick.
Throughout this production, nothing
could be more chilling than the three witches, frighteningly brought to life by
Groth, Rachel Anderson and Jocelyn Roueiheb. Their eerie intonations and hand
movements are spooky, but their ghastly opaque masks look nightmarish. As
Macbeth becomes unhinged, the trickery of these witches becomes apparent.
Even when they're not in witches' masks,
these three actresses look on solemnly during much of the play's action,
reminding one of the three Fates. Alexander's Lady Macbeth is more
believably ruthless than Macbeth himself, who shows remorse for the carnage he
is inflicting but is incapable of stopping: ''I am in blood stepped in so far
that, should I wade no more, returning were as tedious as go o'er,'' he says.
Director Thackaberry has even
interpolated the three witches into the end of the play as they swarm the new
king. Perhaps he's making a statement about all of our dark natures, implying
that even the new ''good guy'' may not remain immune to blind ambition and blood
lust. Staff writer Kerry Clawson may be reached at kclawson@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx.
An eerily thrilling tone pervades
Actors' Summit's Macbeth, from the opening percussive chorus that the
whole cast creates to the play's final moments, as the three sinister witches
beckon a new young king offstage. Director Neil Thackaberry and
musical director Daniel Taylor have created a remarkably dramatic opening, with
Sally Groth playing a harmonium before the whole cast moves into a percussive
segment with the help of drums, walking staffs and other tools, punctuated by
battle cries to introduce Scotland at war. In this Shakespearean tragedy, the
war hero Macbeth is favored by King Duncan. Then Macbeth hears a prophecy of
what he believes to be his royal destiny from three witches, sending him on a
supernatural course toward destruction. As Macbeth, Thackaberry has such a
gloomy intensity from the start, we see how this nobleman's dark nature emerges
so quickly that he is unable to control his ''black and deep
desires.'' It's also a treat to see Thackaberry
star opposite wife MaryJo Alexander as Lady Macbeth. She's a fiendishly sexy
queen, clad in a low-cut black dress with just the right sparkle and red satin
lining to suggest royalty. This couple's passionate kisses fit in with Lady
Macbeth challenging her husband's manliness as she pushes him toward
bloodthirsty deeds. The men wear a lot of loose tunics
with belts in this play. Later, a short, shiny green jacket on Young Siward
(John Galbraith) looks surprisingly incongruous — more fit for a Vegas act than
a battle scene. In Macbeth, Shakespeare's
shortest tragedy, the director's goal was to hold the audience's interest while
creating ''some really good poetry.'' Actors' Summit succeeds on both counts
with this production, which features the largest cast of its
season. Terry Burgler, co-founder of the
Ohio Shakespeare Festival, offers one of the play's few scenes of levity as
Macbeth's clownish, hungover porter. Most of the actors do well with
Shakespeare's rhythms, making the text understandable while keeping up a quick
pace. This murder, mayhem and stage
fighting will be enjoyed by more than adult audiences: With the help of a GAR
Foundation grant, Macbeth also will be presented in five school
performances. Alexander has described the show as
a ''really good creep fest,'' which includes Banquo's gruesome ghost (Geoffrey
Darling) at the dinner table. The only goofy gore comes at the end, when a
fake-looking decapitated head is presented on a stick. Throughout this production, nothing
could be more chilling than the three witches, frighteningly brought to life by
Groth, Rachel Anderson and Jocelyn Roueiheb. Their eerie intonations and hand
movements are spooky, but their ghastly opaque masks look nightmarish. As
Macbeth becomes unhinged, the trickery of these witches becomes
apparent. Even when they're not in witches'
masks, these three actresses look on solemnly during much of the play's action,
reminding one of the three Fates. Alexander's Lady Macbeth is more
believably ruthless than Macbeth himself, who shows remorse for the carnage he
is inflicting but is incapable of stopping: ''I am in blood stepped in so far
that, should I wade no more, returning were as tedious as go o'er,'' he
says. Director Thackaberry has even
interpolated the three witches into the end of the play as they swarm the new
king. Perhaps he's making a statement about all of our dark natures, implying
that even the new ''good guy'' may not remain immune to blind ambition and blood
lust. Staff writer Kerry Clawson may be
reached at kclawson@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx. Delicious ideas to please the pickiest eaters. Watch the video on AOL Living. |