I believe I've already mentioned that Shakespeare's Macbeth is one of my very favorite plays (top five, probably), and that I try to see as many versions of it as possible. Favorites include a touring Kabuki version I saw in Detroit, and a version done with marionettes. The less said about Naked Macbeth, the better. I did a production in college and can still replicate some of the adorable line readings that occurred. I was sad to have missed Alan Cumming's version that played here last summer and was thrilled when it was announced for a Broadway limited run. I actually purchased a real ticket for this one.
The house was pretty full, but not completely. The gals on one side of me were arguing, up and down, who was worse - Patrick Stewart or Alan Cumming. And this was BEFORE the show started. Sigh. The gals on the other side of me were talking (in their outdoor voices) about how bad the reviews had been for this one. Double sigh. Am I the ONLY person in NY who observes the five-block rule (not to mention keeping myself from dissing a show before it even begins)? Apparently so. The gal on my left leaned towards me before the show started; I pulled away. She said, sorry, I may have to do this during the show to be able to see better. I said, oh, ok, thanks for warning me. Thankfully, she didn't have to lean. Though she did pull out her binoculars for a better look every time Alan Cumming removed an article of clothing. As you can imagine, the binoculars stayed out for quite some time during the scenes near/inside the bathtub.
Anyway, after all that, I have to say I really enjoyed the show, though I can see how it might have been confusing for people who aren't as familiar with Macbeth. I thought Alan Cumming presented the text beautifully and was always crystal-clear in his acting and in his storytelling. I am a stickler for clearly telling the story. But, then, I always knew what character he was playing. If you don't know the play, it may be too much to constantly try to figure out who is talking when.
Set in a psychiatric hospital, this Macbeth is torn from the disturbed mind of one patient, though there are two other actors who appear (and briefly speak) from time to time. I thought the cutting of the text was done very well, and the pacing of the piece was excellent. The show begins with Alan Cumming, clearly a patient who is checking into this facility, going through a routine with the two hospital employees. After all is put in order, as the employees leave the room, Cumming asks "When shall we three meet again?" and our descent into Macbeth's madness begins.
Boiled down, Macbeth is essentially a play about guilt, and Cumming beautifully portrays a man filled with guilt acting out a play riddled with guilt. There are subtle, and not-so-subtle, indicators that an act of violence caused Cumming to be placed in this hospital, and seeing how his portrayal of all these characters mirror his own (presumed) actions and consequences, is quite ingenious.
The show was wonderfully directed by John Tiffany and Andrew Goldberg. I'm sure it was quite a delicate dance to put this together and make sure it didn't become one big vanity project bore. There were some directorial choices I found amazingly inventive and some I found pretty cliched, but, on the whole, the construct of the piece was first-rate. I thought the video was used perfectly and the music underscored things very well. The very first light cue caused someone in the audience to scream, so there's that...
I thought Alan Cumming's performance was fantastic - it must be quite an endurance test for him to perform such a high-octane, solo wire act every night (though, I believe I've read he doesn't do matinees to maintain his energy). Unsurprisingly, his abundant personal charm twinkles through now and then, most especially in his interpretations of Duncan and Banquo, but he also is deadly serious throughout and proves himself to be an expert interpreter of Shakespeare. I've heard Macbeth dozens of times, and yet I heard some of the lines anew, which caused my ear to wake up and think 'aha!' I love when that happens - when something so familiar is heard freshly. Hurrah.
The other two performers were also terrific and used very well. I could talk about things that especially stuck with me, but I hate to spoil. I will say I was devastated by a sweater and was genuinely worried at one point for an actor's safety. I was amazed and intrigued by a sex scene. But I will also say that if we were truly in a psychiatric hospital, I'm guessing this patient would've been a little more closely monitored.
Like in The Testament of Mary, there were random pieces of theatricality that bordered a bit on "too much," but the end result was completely worth it to me. I give this production a huge thumbs up, again with the caveat that I just may be the perfect target audience for the piece. Though the gal with the binoculars seemed quite happy with her theatrical experience as well. I should've asked her afterward if she ever understood what was going on. :)
Speaking of The Testament of Mary, I returned for a second visit to see Fiona Shaw and be amazed by her. Which I was. In fact, I may have liked the play even better the second time. This time, I did the pre-show walk-through of the set and found it a very exciting complement to the play as a whole. To see Mary as the world generally sees her, serene and in a 'box,' and then to have the play unfold and she confounds our expectations is ingenious. And although I knew the ending, Shaw's performance still made my heart race. My hands were even shaking afterwards - that's how moving Fiona Shaw was. I sat much closer and could see everything play across that beautifully expressive face. I'm ever so glad I saw the show again. I will say, however, that the Wednesday matinee crowd only gave her one curtain call, whereas the audience last Saturday cheered for three or four. Maybe more people had to get back to the office, just like we did. But Fiona Shaw is worth every hoot, holler and huzzah out there. I'm hoping the Tony nominators think so, too. 
No comments:
Post a Comment