With its witches, spells and foul, wicked deeds, “Macbeth” is an offense against nature in all its forms. In fact, we are told, nature seems dead.
And what greater symbol of nature cut in two than a massive tree chopped down – cut off at its knees like a dagger to a human heart?
TheatreWorks’ dark and smoky production of “Macbeth” is played entirely on a swirling stump of redwood proportion. The audience surrounds this clever symbol and the story is performed in the round – one of the great advantages of the flexible Bon Vivant Theatre in Colorado Springs.
But performing this epic tragedy on the equivalent of an arboreal postage stamp brings with it contradictions of intimacy. On the one hand, witnessing events at such close proximity reminded me of a playgoer who famously shouted in 1788, “I swear that I smelt blood!” You’re certainly close enough here to lick blood off daggers.
However, intimacy brings with it insurmountable incongruities. “Macbeth” is a massive expression of greed and ambition that practically screams to any director, “Make it big!” Murray Ross never has been one to embrace the previously explored, and here he has chosen to keep things small and internalized. The result, while always fascinating, seems more suited for the screen than stage. While its camera-ready floor lighting and surround-sound effects add to the cinematic mood, the restraint of the acting is difficult to reconcile.
Ross’ players often speak in practical whispers, as if into a camera, which is an obstacle for audiences when seeing only their backs. Gene Gillette, a fiery, frightening actor best known for his explosive interpretations of Hamlet and Stanley Kowalski, never has seemed more repressed – some might say handcuffed. His hushed Macbeth kills on cue, but without ever being allowed to fully leap into the trademark embrace of his character’s damned rapaciousness. I drove 80 miles just to hear what Gillette might do with, “I have almost forgot the taste of fears!”
But we never see the moment when he chooses evil over good. We don’t see the accumulation of the corroding effects of power. To bind Gillette up like the core of a golf ball makes the sound of his fury seem to signify not enough.
Costar Alysabeth Clements, while skilled and visually captivating, is so controlled she never reaches the necessary level of mad bloodlust that propels her husband’s ambitions and her own demise. Without some outward expression of raw avarice, not only do we not comprehend her sway over her husband, but her own famous sleepwalk into suicide is muted. Lady Macbeth is the more cold-
blooded of the two; the fourth witch, even. She must be made of sterner stuff.
“Macbeth” is the ultimate study of pure, unchecked evil, and so the sobriety of the leads prematurely ends all debate over whether their deeds are fueled by fate, curses or their own bloodlust. Here it comes across as not much more complex than a crime of opportunity.
The domino effect continues down to the play’s Weird Sisters, who here seem more of a nuisance than a legitimate motivating force (though Ross’ choice to make one of the witches a cute 11-year-old girl is brilliantly inspired – creepy, but inspired).
Contradicting the quietude are sound effects that crackle at such disproportionate volume they caused audible, upset reactions from some members of the audience.
While David Maddalena (Macduff) and Michael Peters (Banquo) offer competent support, one must not forget that TheatreWorks is both a professional and educational company, and several cast members appear to be tackling Shakespeare for the first time. A lesson should be planned immediately for how to believably react to news of a murder.
Ross is to be commended for Geoff Kent’s fight scenes, Susan Hoekstra’s clever costumes and mostly for respecting that “Macbeth” is the Bard’s shortest tragedy. Ross makes smart, judicious trims while resisting the urge to then bloat the production back out with bells and whistles.
He trusts the intended pace to build to its frighteningly quick climax, effectively communicating that matters are speeding beyond all human control. At 2 hours and 10 minutes, his running time beats two recent local productions by as much as 40 minutes.
Theater critic John Moore can be reached at 303-820-1056 or jmoore@denverpost.com.
** 1/2 | “Macbeth”
DRAMA|Presented by TheatreWorks|Written by William Shakespeare|Directed by Murray Ross|Starring Gene Gillette, Alysabeth Clements and David Maddalena|Bon Vivant Theatre, 3955 Cragwood Drive, Colorado Springs|THROUGH SEPT. 4|7:30 Wednesdays-Saturdays, 2 p.m. Saturdays, 4 p.m. Sundays|2 hours, 10 minutes|$22-$25|719-262-3232 or uccstheatreworks.com
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FRINGE FESTIVAL & “FOURTH WALL”
BOULDER INTERNATIONAL FRINGE FESTIVAL
The first fest culminates in a performance by the Mariposa Collective, a collaboration of dance, theater, music and multimedia at 8 p.m. Saturday at the Boulder Theater. Other notable final performances include Ami Dayan’s “The Man Himself” at 2:30 p.m. Saturday at the Dairy Center; Gemma Wilcox’s “The Honeymoon Period Is Officially Over” at 6:30 p.m. Sunday at the Dairy Center; Tim Mooney’s one-man rock opera “Karaoke Knights” at noon Saturday and 3:45 p.m. Sunday at Old Main; and Giving Voice’s “The Sex Lives of Teenage Girls” at 5:30 p.m. Saturday inside the Dairy Center’s women’s bathroom. Call 720-563-9950 or go to boulderfringe.com.
“THE FOURTH WALL” The Avenue Theater is remounting the Nomad’s 2004 staging of A.R. Gurney’s play about a homemaker whose home redecoration turns into a pointed rumination on the Iraq war. 7:30 p.m. Fridays-Saturdays, 2 p.m. Sundays, through Oct. 1 at 417 E. 17th Ave. Tickets $15-$20 (303-321-5925).
– John Moore
