HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Citizen, 2009-07-23, Page 19THE CITIZEN, THURSDAY, JULY 23, 2009. PAGE 19.Entertainment Leisure&Theatre reviewStratford’s Macbeth leaves a bit to be desired
Plays don’t come much more
iconic than Macbeth.
When William Shakespeare, the
world’s most recognizable
playwright, is mentioned, it is
perhaps Macbeth,Hamlet and
Romeo and Juliet that come to mind.
This being said, some people get
bored with the classics and attempt a
shake-up. This is certainly the case
with this year’s production of
Macbeth at the Stratford
Shakespeare Festival.
Trading armour for fatigues and
swords for guns, the play surrounds
a more modern war than may be
expected with a traditional
production of Macbeth.
Brace yourself, because the play
starts with a bang. Seriously.
There are some very real and loud
pyrotechnics involved in director
and Festival artistic director Des
McAnuff’s production. There are
grenades going off both in the
distance as well as the forefront
while gunplay runs rampant,
eventually leading to a full-scale
four-wheeler on stage while soldiers
drop in on lines from the ceiling.
Thus continue the twists and turns
of this reimagining of Macbeth.
When there are changes of kings, of
which there are several,
Shakespeare’s words are delivered at
a press conference where old-
fashioned flashbulbs pop like
popcorn while modern-looking
military men accept their posts and
move up in the world.
These, however, are just appetizers
for the main course of
modernization that takes place after
the intermission.
Upon returning, you are promptly
greeted with a set that features four
television screens broadcasting a
steady schedule of snow until the
play resumes.
Then they are used creatively,
flashing women’s faces for a second
at a time, or images running through
Macbeth’s head before returning to
their natural purpose as surveillance
cameras.
The televisions are a large
distraction as a flash of one image or
another pulls attention from the
stage, forcing a theatregoer to
become reassimilated to what’s
going on with the actual flesh and
blood characters.
While these issues are not at the
core of the performance, they form
the framework for the story. It is the
characters, most notably, Macbeth
and his wife, Lady Macbeth, who
carry the story through.
The scenes come in a rapid-fire
fashion early on. Speeding through
Macbeth’s most recognizable
soliloquy is Colm Feore, leaving his
hallucination of a dagger as too brief
a treat. Lady Macbeth’s task of
washing a remaining spot of blood
from her hands also runs by at too
quick a pace.
While Lady Macbeth, the
mastermind of Macbeth’s plan and
destiny, persuades and manipulates
Macbeth, Yanna McIntosh’s
portrayal tends to lack the power and
charisma of a leader, despite great
body language and sensuality.
And Macbeth, after a brief stint in
fatigues (to which he does return
later), also lacks the fire that should
burn in a leader of men. In Feore’s
hands Macbeth cries, whines and
drags his feet through a period of his
life that makes his days as a strong
leader of military men a distant
memory.
Feore, who is often automatic in
Shakespearean roles, does, however,
deliver a stirring rendition of
Macbeth’s final speech before
heading back out to battle.
Feore is also strong in a banquet
scene where he is repeatedly
haunted by a murdered Banquo at
that table. Feore is cool and
collected when toasting his guests
but goes off the rails upon turning to
the table to see his vanquished foe
sitting in his chair at the table.
And while the passionless
conversations between Feore and
McIntosh may be questionable, what
isn’t questionable is their physical
chemistry. When convincing
Macbeth to fulfill his destiny
through murder, McIntosh circles
and gropes around Feore evoking
serpent imagery that harkens back to
the Bible. One imagines both Adam
and Eve as well as Jesus in the desert
for 40 days, left alone with his
temptation.
Two definite strong links forged
into the chain are Gareth Potter,
playing Duncan’s son Malcolm and
Dion Johnstone, who plays Macduff.
The scene before the two return to
Scotland, despite the inexplicable
colonial African setting for the play,
for Macbeth is electric, even while it
is often described as “the calm
before the storm.” Both deliver
genuine war-time performances
fueled by revenge, with Potter even
enjoying a cigarette as the two circle
one another.
The crew is top notch, producing
crisp transitions from scene to scene,
including the one from the demise of
Banquo to Macbeth’s “inauguration”
dinner, lit by an old-fashioned
flashbulb that literally incited gasps
from the audience due to the
precision and speed with which it
was pulled off.
All in all, however, there is much
left to be desired with this staging of
Macbeth and every time a grenade
makes you jump out of your chair,
you’ll yearn for the clanging of
armour.
THURS., AUG. 27/09 - 8PM
CENTENNIAL HALL - LONDON
Tickets at The Centennial Hall
Box Office. Charge by Phone
519-672-1967 or online at
www.centennialhall.london.ca
Worlds apart
This year’s Stratford Shakespeare Festival production of
Macbeth puts a completely original spin on a Shakespeare
classic. There are guns and grenades and a brand new
setting, but the heart of the story remains, essentially
revolving around Macbeth, right, played by Colm Feore and
his wife Lady Macbeth, Yanna McIntosh. (David Hou photo)
Happy 60th
Birthday
Jim
Love your family & friends
Help us celebrate
50 + 1
Wedding Anniversary
for
Pat and George
Langlois
1958 - Hot Rods were cool,
Beer was $5 a case,
Montreal Canadiens
won the Stanley Cup and
Grama and Papa
(Pat and George) were married.
The family would like to
invite everyone to the
celebration on
Saturday, July 25
at the BMG Community
Centre
Greetings at 7:30 pm
Entertainment and
presentations 8:30 pm
Dancing to Wilbees and
buffet to follow.
Best wishes only or donations to
Brussels Community Centre
renovation fund.
By Shawn Loughlin
The Citizen
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