Stage Review (OSF) - Macbeth
Stage Review - Macbeth
Presented By: Oregon Shakespeare Festival - Ashland, OR
Show Run: March 19 - October 12, 2024
Date Reviewed: Wednesday, May 22, 2024
Reviewed By: Greg Heilman
Coming out of the Covid pandemic, the Oregon Shakespeare Festival (OSF) has endured some uncertain times, with ticket sales non-existent during the shut down, and its assets not exactly liquid, as the majority of them are infrastructure and building related. Not only that, since most theatre aficionados view a trip to OSF as a destination, reflected in its longer show runs and close relationship with the community of Ashland, OR where it is located, the entire ecosystem took a hit, people have only within the last year or so begun to head back out. To help matters, OSF ran less shows and shortened its seasons over the past few, and while its measures have stabilized the organization coming out of Covid, the hiring of Tim Bond as Artistic Director last year represents a change in focus, away from merely just “keeping the lights on”, to one of growth and a return to the its roots, including more shows, longer runs, and more repertory. In that way, the 2024 season is a sort of transitional year, between recovery and growth, with a few flagship productions and a good deal more one or two person shows in the offing. Later this season, when OSF begins its “outdoor” slate of shows, and productions like Much Ado About Nothing and Jane Eyre take the stage alongside others like Coriolanus, Behfarmaheen, and the Justin Huertas musical with a Seattle connection Lizard Boy, the festival will be full speed ahead. Before the outdoor season begins, though, there’s no shortage of other shows to make up the festival. Shakespeare and the Alchemy of Gender ran from March 21 through May 4 and Smote This (A Comedy About God and Other $H*T) was on stage from March 22 through May 12. A side effect of Ashland being relatively remote is that it’s difficult to plan trips to OSF and take in all of the shows, there are bound to be ones that are missed, and while I’m hoping to make two trips to the festival this year to cover both the indoor and outdoor seasons, unfortunately I missed out on “Alchemy” and “Smote”. I did happen to catch three shows, though, Macbeth, Virgins to Villains (My Journey with Shakespeare’s Villains), and Born with Teeth, three shows that are either written by or inspired by Shakespeare, and one that is worth making the trip for, even if it was the only show that you could take in. That show is the OSF production of Macbeth.
When you think of OSF and flagship, or cornerstone, productions, it would be understandable to think that the category would be reserved for one of their outdoor shows, as the Allen Elizabethan Theatre is a destination in itself. But this version of Macbeth is a clear indication that the monicker shouldn’t be reserved just for the outdoors. On stage in the Angus Bowmer Theatre, Macbeth is a dark tragedy that feels like a slow descent into the insanity that overtakes the show’s namesake, with a design that is dramatic and bold, and a cast that is masterful in its ability to bring this classic to life in a familiar, but brand new, way.
Director Evren Odcikin’s vision for this show is ambitious, and the creative team he has put together is up to the task. The set from Michael Locher resembles a crumbling castle wall with a backdrop that is black as night, the lighting from designer Michael K. Maag illuminates the backdrop in a red that, along with T. Carlis Roberts’ sound design, which is comprised of a percussive dissonance that implies an sense of impending doom, all come together in a way that makes the audience feel at best as though they’re accompanying Macbeth on his journey into insanity, and, at worst a slow descent into hell itself. I mean this in the best possible way, the design feels complementary to the tone of this tragic tale.
For those not familiar, the play tells the story of Scottish general Macbeth, who along with friend and compatriot Banquo, having just defeated the King of Norway in battle and on their way back to be celebrated by their own king, come across three witches. The witches foretell of a prophecy in which Macbeth becomes King of Scotland himself and Banquo is to sire a long line of future kings. The pair, emboldened by the hearing of this prophecy, set a plan into motion and take matters into their own hands to make it come to pass. But, in something that feels a lot like Edgar Allen Poe’s Telltale Heart, the guilt is more than Macbeth can bear, and he begins a journey into an insanity that claims the lives of more people than the he could have ever imagined before his chance encounter with the magical trio. One of Shakespeare’s most powerful and popular plays, what transpires from here is rife with deceit, heartbreak, and death.
The aforementioned descent into hell is front and center at the beginning of Act 2 (Act 4 in the play), right after intermission, when Macbeth, feeling a complete loss of control in the events in his life, revisits the witches to demand they tell him of their prophecies. The three proceed to conjure a series of ghouls and apparitions, which serve to set Macbeth at ease against his conscience, but the whole scene is terrifying to watch, an amalgamation of each of the design elements that make this show so fantastic. Beyond just the lighting and sound that are so important to make this theme work, Melissa Torchia’s costumes are also spectacular, and while the battle armor and other costumes worn by Macbeth and his compatriots are excellent, the highlight is the costuming of the trio of witches. Theirs are frayed, aged, and withered as if they have had the weight of an eternity’s torture thrust upon them, a weight that they’re more than happy to share with the likes of Macbeth. The show is chock full of amazing design elements, it’s just so well presented, but in the scene when Macbeth is contemplating the act of killing his King, and his mind famously imagines the tool of Duncan’s demise, the creative way in which his reaching for the invisible dagger is presented exemplifies the brilliance in how this show is constructed.
Beyond the creative, there’s the acting, and to say that the quality on stage meets the standard that the creative team has set is an understatement. There is excellence up and down the cast list, but the story hangs on how Macbeth is portrayed and Kevin Kenerly is masterful in his portrayal of the man who would be King. His is a performance of progression, from loyal soldier and subject to one curious at the idea that he could be the one making the rules, to his ascent to the throne and his subsequent descent into insanity. Kevin’s performance is passionate, transformational, and inspiring. He nails the character in a way that is congruous with Director Evren Odcikin’s tonal vision for the play. It’s as if the audience has an inside view into the Macbeth’s mind and its corruption. And it’s not just Macbeth who struggles to live with his actions, his wife Lady Macbeth, played here by Erica Sullivan is right there with him, and Erica’s performance is every bit as good and passionate as Kevin’s, as is Jaysen Wright’s as Macduff, the audience able to feel his heart breaking at the news of his family’s death. Armando McClain’s Banquo is also good, as is David Kelly as King Duncan, Porter, and Seward. Standout performances abound, but for me the trio of witches are a spooky delight. Kate Hurster, Amy Lizardo, and Jennie Greenberry play the witches, who magically appear whenever there is a death on stage, and there are quite a few of them, but in the opening scene in Act 2, the “Double Double Toil and Trouble” piece, they are just magnificent, and in their chanting there is a harmonious consonance that is intoxicating.
Listening to the dialogue from this production of Macbeth, it strikes me how appreciative I am that artists continue to present these works. To me, there’s a romance in the dialogue, a way of putting things that reminds me that we’ve not always been so lazy with language as we are today. In Macbeth, a piece of dialogue that might take pages to come together, the coordination of an attack on an enemy today could be told in less than ten words.
“You good?”
“Yeah, we doing this?”
“Let’s go!”
This production of Macbeth is a clear indication that after centuries of having his plays presented in any variety of ways, Shakespeare isn’t going anywhere. Macbeth at OSF is dark, it’s passionate, it’s thrilling, and it’s the most tragic of tragedies. It’s a play with a vision from Director Evren Odcikin that grabs the audience and doesn’t dare let go. It’s most definitely a cornerstone production for the OSF 2024 season, and if you only had the chance to take in one play while in Ashland, this being it would be very well worth it.
The Oregon Shakespeare Festival production of Macbeth runs on stage at the Angus Bowmer Theatre in Ashland, OR through October 12. For more information on the festival, its history and programming, or this show and how to purchase tickets, visit https://www.osfashland.org/.
