Play: Macbeth, BAM Harvey/Chichester Theatre, February 16, 2008

Macbeth ticket

This weekend we had a couple of friends up this week, and we saw Patrick Stewart in Macbeth. Being that three of the four of us are Stewart fans from Star Trek, and I am an extra fan of his from his work in the X-Men movies, we had a little more than a geek interest in the play.

I also like Shakespeare, and I believe this was the first Shakespeare play I saw.

We met up with two other friends, both of who were actors, one who performed as Macbeth back in Pennsylvania. We were six in all, and each of us there for a different reason.

So, how was it? Great, but your opinion might vary.

This was an updating of Macbeth, and even though they kept the references to Scotland and England, it appears to have been set in WWII era Soviet Union.

 

Stewart as Macbeth

This is not what you might think of a Macbeth performance. Army Fatigues and guns replace tights and swords. It is a definite hi-tech adaptation. of the play, with rear projections, unique staging, and actors coming out into the audience.

Since the production is more modern than many would expect, some in the audience were torn in how the play was portrayed. Some thought some things director Rupert Goold did were a mistake. I thought they were artistic and daring. Sure, at times it was a lot of style over substance, but it worked more often than not.

Stewart, because of his genre work, doesn't get a fair shake. But I believe any of his doubters out there should see him do this show. He usually plays the gentile good guy. Here, he plays a rough hewn warrior who slowly slips into madness. It is a different character that I have ever seen him play. He was scary and funny, noble and weak, usually at the same time. He truly is a great actor.

He is supported by a great cast as well, most I believe were British. They say the best way to understand Shakespeare is to see it performed. This cast more than proved that point.

The most effective staging was with the witches. They were creepy and spoke almost in rap. It was very powerful, dark and nefarious. I was really impressed by this.

The rest of the run at BAM is sold out, but there is a rumor that the show will be moving to Broadway for a 3 week run. If this happens, try to see it. Especially, if you like risky and daring adaptations of classic works.