Stage Review - Macbeth (Saltfire Theatre)
Stage Review - Macbeth
Presented By: Saltfire Theatre - Port Townsend, WA
Show Run: January 24 - February 09, 2025
Date Reviewed: Friday, January 24, 2025 (Opening Night)
Run Time: 2 Hours, 45 minutes (including a 10 minute intermission)
Reviewed By: Greg Heilman
Out of the millions of plays that have ever been written since the art form was created, there may not be any one single piece that has created its own orbit as much as Shakespeare’s Macbeth. Nearly everyone knows at least one quote from it, actors, creatives, and administrators alike in the theatre community all know not to mention its title in the confines of the theatre space at the risk of cursing a show and the people working on it, and it’s consistently ranked only behind Hamlet as the best (subjective, of course) and behind Romeo and Juliet (again, subjective) as the most popular plays from Shakespeare’s library. It also seems like a heck of a fun play to design for and to act in, though I’ve never had the pleasure. It’s dark, it’s emotional, and has so much to love in the storytelling, from the magical and mystic, to deceit and treachery, and a decent amount of psychological trauma along with a hefty dose of blood. The latest theatre to select Macbeth as part of their season is Port Townsend’s Saltfire Theatre. Saltfire is no stranger to The Bard, having put up As You Like It in 2022, Taming of the Shrew in 2023, and Twelfth Night in 2024, each at different locations in the Port Townsend area. Macbeth, directed by Genevieve Barlow, runs on stage through February 9 in the JFK Building at Fort Worden State Park.
As good as Macbeth is, it’s dark, it’s emotional, and a true human tragedy, it’s not the easiest to build out, and it’s also inherently long. Friday’s opening night performance was advertised to the audience as a “little over 2 hours, plus a 10 minute intermission”, but when it finally clocked in, the run time was closer to 2 hours, 45 minutes. There are a few creative aspects of the play that cause the length to skew long, namely in the way the three witches, the ones who provide Macbeth and Banquo with their initial prophesy, that the former will be king one day, and while the latter will not be king, he will have a line of royal descendants, handle the souls of the deceased that takes some time, but ultimately it’s so unique and creative, I wouldn’t suggest changing it. There’s also the logistics of running a battle scene inside a building that is a really a glorified grange hall. Toward the end of the play, when Macbeth’s reign is challenged by Macduff and the English soldiers he has recruited, it feels like a call and answer, where one side challenges the other, then leaves the stage so that the other can run on and answer the challenge, in a series that continues for a bit. But all that said, with a run time as it is, assuming it doesn’t compress at all through the run, it really isn’t any longer than any other versions of Macbeth that I’ve seen, I would just suggest a more realistic advertisement of the time so that folks don’t start checking their watches after the two hour mark. I will say, though, that from a presentation perspective, the Saltfire production is engaging enough that the time isn’t going to be noticeable to many in attendance. Finally, there’s also a scene when spirits enter the stage through the curtain from backstage, and leave the curtain open, exposing a bit of the area behind. Perhaps posting someone behind to close the curtain as each walks out would prevent unwanted views of the backstage area.
To make Macbeth the dark and emotional tragedy it needs to be, it not only takes a talented cast, and a good director, both of which this production has, but it takes all of the creative components coming together, including light, sound, costumes, and other elements like fight choreography. Genevieve’s vision for the show is in good hands with this team, and they all have done a fine job capturing the right mood for Macbeth. There’s really only two areas of improvement that I can call out, one in the area of lighting, and the other in staging. The room is configured as a thrust, meaning that the where the actors perform comes out on to the floor, with seats flanking either side and more on risers toward the end of the staged area, opposite of the raised stage and proscenium. Lighting of the actors is generally good, dark, complementary, and supportive of the mood in any particular scene, but there is a dark spot, right where in front of a gap between the risers where the main seats are. It’s a good spot to have someone come out of the shadows and into the light, so to speak, but there are plenty of conversations that happen in that dark space, conversations that are clearly meant to be in the light. There are a few examples of this, even scenes that I would say should be subtlety lit, for instance when Macbeth meets with a group that he’s asked to carry out one of his plans to solidify his rule in hopes of proving the witches’ prophecy false, a meeting meant to be in the shadows, but rather it’s in darkness. Otherwise, though, Austin Krieg’s lighting design is excellent, and I’m especially impressed with one particular scene when, as part of his slow descent into a guilt-induced insanity, Macbeth is haunted by the memory of a past indiscretion. Meanwhile, Kirsten Louise Webb’s sound design is also very well done, highlighted by her work in scenes involving the three witches, where subdued lighting is underscored by the howling wind and hum of foreboding. Those scenes are meant to have a mystical quality to them, and these two elements achieve that mood precisely. Rounding out the creative team is costumer Libby Wennstrom and the scenic design group, which includes set designer Gina Bonneau, banner artist Anna Marie Brown, and prop master Lilly Gulden. Both Libby and Anna help to make the JFK Building at Fort Worden feel as much like Scotland as then can, the former designing costumes with tartan sashes and Scottish accents, and the witches costumes are wonderfully wistful, though perhaps some kilts for the men would have added a bit more authenticity to the piece, while the latter’s work on the banners is nice, and the effect when the Kingdom’s leadership changes is quite impactful.
The story itself I’ve described as a sort of Scottish version of Edgar Allan Poe’s The Tell-Tale Heart. Macbeth and Banquo, after winning a battle and on their way to report back to King Duncan of Scotland, meet up with the aforementioned three witches, where they each learn of their respective fates. Impatient to make the prophecy happen, Macbeth and wife Lady Macbeth, to whom he has written about the prophecy, develop and implement a plan to expedite his rise to the throne. However, while Macbeth has gotten what he desired, the guilt over how it was accomplished is unbearable, and eats away at the new King, causing him to act irrationally and leaving a trail of unfathomable destruction behind him. It is truly one of the great tragedies, and it requires a cast of actors dedicated to bringing the emotion and depth to their roles in order to produce the desired impact Macbeth is known for.
There is not a member of this cast that seems to give less than the entirety of their energy, from the leads, which includes Cole Wimpee as Macbeth, Rosaletta Curry as his wife Lady Macbeth, Scott Bahlmann as Banquo, Judd Farris as Macduff, Erik Van Beuzekom as King Duncan, and Jason Noltemeier as Duncan’s eldest son and heir Malcom. This entire group of leads works very well together, but there are some remarkable individual performances among them. Cole’s is a strong Macbeth, his delivery is very good, it’s intense, capturing the guilt turned psychosis expertly, his speech patterns varying from quick to slow, tone from high to low, always providing the right emotional punch. Rosaletta’s Lady Macbeth is superb, her character clearly a strong woman, but also a bit odd at the same time, gripped as well by the same guilt as her husband. A wonderful scene is the two of them together, when they develop their treasonous plan, their dialogue paced very well, their preparation for their work clear. For Rosaletta individually, Lady Macbeth’s famous sleepwalking scene, “Out, damned spot!”, is a wondrous scene to watch, it’s haunting and sad, but so beautifully acted. Erik’s King Duncan comes with a certain Jon Favreau quality about him, at least in look, and his performance is solid, as is Scott’s as Banquo. And between Judd’s Macduff and Cole’s Macbeth, the pair engage in some decent sword fighting, choreographed nicely by Erik.
Camille Michelle Hildebrandt, Rachel Smith, and Sally Talbert play the three witches and do a fine job with them, their deliberate movements, almost floating across the stage, their chanting “Double double toil and trouble” in harmony at times, and alternating between them at others. There are some highlights among the rest of the supporting cast as well. Miranda McClave is a vocalist in the play’s first funeral scene, and as a result of her work, the scene is quite beautiful. Everyone in this generally large cast is very good, there was nary a miss in Friday’s opening night performance, plus I must also say that to a person, each actor’s ability to project was never in doubt.
Macbeth, the dark and sometimes gruesome tragedy from Shakespeare, is a play that has the potential to be larger than life. The Saltfire Theatre production of this classic is a good one, and with a scenic design that captures the intended tone and mood of the piece, and a cast that is strong, energetic, and emotional, it is limited only by the space in which it’s being presented . I’d love to see this group present this play in a more traditional space, where they’d have the elbow room to spread out a bit and create more flow, but given the alternative, it would be a shame to think that there would be anything preventing anyone from seeing this version of Macbeth.
The Saltfire Theatre production of Shakespeare’s classic Macbeth runs on stage in the JFK Building at Fort Worden in Port Townsend through February 9. For more information, including ticket availability and sales, visit https://saltfiretheatre.org/index.html.
Photo credit: Richard Sloane
