“Double, double toil and trouble. Fire burn, and cauldron bubble.” That’s what I remember from when I read William Shakespeare’s “Macbeth” when I was in college a million years ago. It was a prophecy by the three witches while they stirred a potion that was brewing in a cauldron. They had previously prophesied that Macbeth would replace Duncan as the King of Scotland. I got a refresher of the play last year when Quintessence did a production of “Macbeth.”
Macbeth learns from the king that he has just become the new Thane (duke) of Cawdor- one of the prophesies-and tells Lady Macbeth, his wife of the other prophecy, that he will become king of Scotland. She immediately tells him that he must kill those who are in his way, to ascend being king. How ambitious is he? Would Macbeth have acted without his wife’s prodding? Would Adam have eaten the apple without Eve’s offering it to him? Who is he really? He murders King Duncan (offstage) and Lady Macbeth is thrilled.
During the first half of the play, there is only talk of the political situation and of the many intrigues until the final scene when Macbeth kills his friend, Banquo, on stage. For me, it was too long to sit and listen to words, even profound ones, with no action. Even the three witches were not dynamic and their costumes not interesting. (The men in the play did wear handsome kilts). On top of that, nine actors portrayed some 30 different roles, and I was often confused which character they were playing, particularly when they were playing the children of the nobles.
The second half of the play was a bit easier to follow, though I still got lost in some of the longer monologues. And I always perked up when I heard some of the classic lines- “Fair is foul and foul is fair, Out damned spot!, Tomorrow, and tomorrow, and tomorrow,”
The original play consisted of 5 acts and usually ran over four hours. Lantern’s production of two hours and ten-minutes felt as long. William Shakespeare is considered the best playwright in the English language. I don’t know if he included stage directions for the director. I needed more feeling, more nuance, and as I said before, more action. They could have staged a more interesting movement of the forest (Macbeth felt safe since there was no way the forest was going to move and thereby undermine his position as king.) I don’t think director Charles McMahon got enough from his actors to engage the audience as much as possible. And his cast was first rate, with the likes of Anthony Lawton, Karen Peakes, J Hernandez, and Frank X. It’s a great play, but this production was lacking.
“Macbeth” by William Shakespeare at Lantern Theater Company at St. Stephen’s Theater, 923 Ludlow St., Philadelphia, PA 19107. 215-829-0399 lanterntheater.org thru December 7, 2025.
Philadelphia Theater Reviews by Frank Burd 