When I first read William Shakespeare’s “MacBeth” in high school, I was terrified. I had trouble understanding the English language of the times. But I got through it with the aid of Cliff’s Notes. Had I seen the play instead of reading it, I might have understood it better. Now, the play, Shakespeare’s shortest tragedy, is on the Quintessence stage. Sadly, I hadn’t prepared myself by reviewing the tale which I hadn’t seen in over 40 years, and I found myself lost in the language once again.
Three witches visit Scottish General MacBeth and his friend Banquo and tell them that MacBeth will become King of Scotland. He is excited and so is his wife. He decides to expedite his ascent to the throne and murders Duncan, the current king. But the witches also tell them that Banquo’s heir will be a future king. That becomes a problem for MacBeth.
The plot gets more and more complicated as various allegiances and several ruthless murders take place. Knives and swords are in constant use, and the fighting scenes are well choreographed. So too are the scenes with the three witches, costumed in black with spooky masks. And in keeping with the productions of plays during Shakespeare’s times, all the roles were played by men- the witches as well as Lady MacBeth.
I did not care for Scott Parkinson’s portrayal of the very complex queen, wife of MacBeth. It was rather flat… two dimensional. It didn’t come alive on the stage. Actually, that was a problem I had with almost all the characters, including MacBeth himself. They simply and boldly recited their lines, but I didn’t get the feelings I usually get in such a powerful, emotional play.
When I don’t care for a production, I often ask the person I came with whether he or she liked it. This time, it was my friend who was a professor of literature at Temple and Manor Colleges for over 40 years and often taught “MacBeth.” It didn’t work for her either.
When I read the director’s notes after the play, I saw that director Alex Burns’ goal was “to move away from method acting and realism, and to focus on heightened language…” I felt as though I was in a reading of the play, not a performance. It didn’t feel like the bard’s shortest tragedy. I wonder what Shakespeare, an actor as well as a playwright, would have thought of it.
If you go, be sure to read a summary of the play in order to better understand what is going on on the stage, as you will miss some of the information recited in Shakespearean tongue. You won’t get it in the acting.
“MacBeth” by William Shakespeare at Quintessence Theatre, 7137 Germantown Ave., Philadelphia, PA 19119, 215-987-4450, quintessencetheatre.org Thru April 21, 2024
Philadelphia Theater Reviews by Frank Burd 