'MacBeth' Production Proves Acting Mettle

Author: Laura Rockefeller
Staff Writer

There are certain plays and pieces of music in our culture that are revered so highly that there are innumerable productions of them by the greatest artists. For this reason, staging an original performance of these pieces poses a challenge in addition to the expected challenges of a production because most of one's audience members will have come into contact with the piece before and will probably have preconceived notions about it.

"Macbeth" is such a piece. However, Jesse Holland '02, Tara Giordano '02, and Joseph Varca '02 took on this challenge for their senior independent work; the production that resulted was truly remarkable.

In his director's notes for the program, Holland included a quote from the research group Amibo's book "The Aftermath: The Human and Ecological Consequences of Nuclear War," which described a state of existence that Holland wanted the audience to be thinking about as they entered the world of his play. The paragraph-long quote concluded, "There would be no reason for progress as we know it, no will to innovate, invest, or invent." It was striking that while creating a world in which his characters were often trapped and unable to innovate, Holland's direction of this well-known play was actually very inventive.

The way in which actors, who were cast in multiple roles, transformed themselves from one role into another on stage in front of the audience changed the audience's perceptions of all of that actor's characters. When characters like Fleance, who play pivotal roles in the fulfilling of the three Witches' prophecy to Macbeth, turned into one of the Witches in front of the audience by exchanging costume pieces with other ones in the barrels situated around the stage, it made the audience think even more about the extent to which the Witches might or might not be manipulating the events that led to Macbeth's downfall.

This transformation on stage also highlighted the amount of work the actors in these roles had done in creating different characters for each of their parts. Tim Brownell '02 was particularly noticeable in providing comic relief with his portrayal of Macbeth's elderly servant, while also giving a convincing and moving performance as Macduff.

A new look at one of the familiar characters of this play was also given by Giordano's amazing presentation of Lady Macbeth. Giordano did not fall into simply portraying Lady Macbeth as the embittered woman who drives her husband to murder in her pursuit of power that one might encounter when studying the play in a high school English class. Instead, she presented a vibrant woman who was even likeable at the beginning of the play, but who's ambition for herself and for her husband drove her too far. Although many of the images in Lady Macbeth's speeches are extremely disturbing and violent, the motivation in Giordano's case seemed to come from a concern for her husband's advancement more than from the personal unbalance that seems apparent when one reads the words on paper and cannot see the expressions and interactions that accompany them.

The relationship between Macbeth and Lady MacBeth in this production was very strong and was given a good foundation by their loving interactions in their first scene together. It was fascinating to see the very visible way that their relationship changed after Macbeth murdered Duncan. In their first conversations, Macbeth and Lady Macbeth were very physical with each other, however, in the scene just following Duncan's death it was remarkable how, without seeming contrived, Macbeth's bloody hands got in between them every time that one partner reached out for the other. Because they had shown such a strong bond and the opening of the play, it was all the more tragic to see their relationship deteriorate as Macbeth fell further into bloody deeds.

Varca's interpretation of the remarkably demanding role of Macbeth was very impressive. His forceful performance kept the audience with him throughout the lengthy and difficult journey that he must travel over the course of the play. This was largely due to his being able to make his preponderance of copious speeches understandable and interesting to the audience.

The production appeared generally well thought-out and carefully put together by cast and crew. It was an exciting representation of the familiar piece.