Critical Analysis of Folger's Macbeth

Zoë McCully

Ms. Piefer

10 IB Hour 5

April 1, 2012

Macbeth Critical Review Essay

Teller and Aaron Posner’s slightly modernized adaptation of Shakespeare's Macbeth, performed at Folgers Theater, had many flaws and felt as if it had been half-heartedly modernized. The costumes were distracting, the effects felt overused and tacky, and many of the actors portrayed the characters ineffectively or seemed wrong for the part.

The concept of a “modern Macbeth” did not come through in this adaptation of the play. The idea was poorly expressed because the only modernized prop was the costumes, and even those barely showed modernization. At the very beginning scene several of the Lords, and Macbeth are wearing quarter-zip sweaters, kilts, long socks, leather lace-up boots and thick belts with swords attached. These costumes are bad because the use of zippers distracts the audience from the rest of the scene. The directors could have used sweaters with buttons or nothing on them at all and this would have made the scene much clearer for the audience, because there would be no tiny details drawing their attention away from the play. Later in the play during the banquet scene the Lords enter wearing white button down shirts and long kilts. The shirts give a formal feel to the banquet, but when worn with a very earthy looking kilts they create a comic outfit. Another comic moment was when Macbeth put on his “armor” and a loud ripping sound was heard as he velcroed on his gloves, which were the extent of his battle-wear.

Lady Macbeth’s costume is another that feels half-heartedly modernized. Her hairstyle is the most confusing because it is short, blonde, and looks completely modern. The style takes away the “Royal Queen of Scotland” look that her character should have. Her dress is bright pink and purple, but the style is very dull and not medieval because it has a slit up the leg.

The thugs and murderers also stand out because they are the only characters in the whole play that wear pants; which are more specifically dark colored jeans. The pants clash with the kilts that all the other male characters wear because it is weird to see both styles onstage at the same time. The thugs also wear black hats, and leather jackets with grey hoodie sweatshirts underneath, making their costumes the most modern of all.

To contrast the many bad costumes, a costume done well was Duncan’s. He wore long blue robes, with a loose white shirt underneath. The purpose of the color and the length was to give him a royal look, and this was very effective. Macbeth also donned a longer robe when he became king, so the length of the costume helped show his change in status. Overall it was not effective to have modern costumes in a play that used shakespearean language, because instead of adding substance to the play, it was distracting.

Effects were used to create an eerie atmosphere on stage, but they were used so frequently that it began to feel tacky and annoying. Two overused effects were high-pitched bell noises and fake blood. Every time a door closed, a character delivered an ominous line, a ghost appeared or someone died, a creepy, high-pitched bell sound would be heard. This would have been fine, had these occurrences not made up the majority of the play; which meant obnoxious bells were sounding incessantly. Fake blood was also used extremely often. Almost every scene included a character covered in fake blood. Banquo’s murder was a very bloody scene, and so was the appearance of his ghost. The most excessive use of fake blood is during Lady Macbeth’s sleepwalking scene. She actually covers herself in blood, dripping it all over her face, arms, and dress. The blood was a very bright shiny red, and if it had looked more genuine, the scene would have been very dark and gruesome; instead it was very strange to watch, because Lady’ Macbeth looked as if she was going crazy while covered in paint. Another unnecessary use of fake blood was when Lady Macbeth died. Seyton came in with blood on his hand, and then Macbeth smeared Seyton’s bloody hand on his own face. It was a very strange action, and did not seem to add anything to the play. The witches also poured blood on Macbeth’s face before his death, but this was an effective use of blood because they were on a higher level of the stage, so it had a very dark feel to it. Overall, blood was used so often that it became an ineffective way to express violence, and it began to feel tacky.

An effect that seemed to enhance the production was the lighting. The lighting was always dim and never distracted from the performance itself. Strobe lights were occasionally used as transitions in between scenes, or when characters like the witches appeared. The strobe lights added a feeling of chaos and darkness to the play and were tolerable because they were only used a few times, unlike the other effects.

In this adaptation of Macbeth there were several actors that embodied their character very well, and many that seemed like they were playing the wrong part. Lady Macbeth was one of the latter. She was played by Kate Eastwood Norris, who was an older woman who portrayed Lady Macbeth as very clingy and controlling. She delivered her lines in a way that was hard to take seriously because she was trying too hard to be dramatic. She was always stroking Macbeth, and gripping him the same way a bird grips their prey in their talons. From the very beginning of the play she appeared to have no self control because she threw herself at Macbeth every time they were together on stage. Because she was pretty old her behavior seemed inaccurate for her character. Macbeth was played by Ian Merrill Peakes and he and Norris did not do a good job portraying Macbeth and Lady Macbeth’s relationship. They made their love appear purely physical and did not emphasize the emotional connection between them. Peakes and Norris spent so much time on stage, usually together, that it became very dull to watch them. Neither of them had any “devilish charm” that should accompany a villain; and this made it difficult for the audience to truly care about their characters. Their performances began to feel drab, because the style of their speech never changed, and their lustful interactions were the same every time they entered the stage.

Macduff was played by Cody Nickel, who did a good job portraying Macduff as a hero fighting for the good of his country and family. Macduff was a welcome difference from Macbeth and Lady Macbeth’s constant flirting and plotting. Nickel did a very good job of showing Macduff as a character of integrity and strength. Nickel reacted accurately to the tragedy of his family’s death and to Malcolm’s testing. He was furious at Malcolm before he learned that he was being tricked, but he then forgave Malcolm immediately. He grieved his family when they were slaughtered and also did a good job portraying his vengeful spirit, which was shown in his battle with Macbeth.

Malcolm was played by Scott Kens, who also did a very good job portraying Malcolm’s character accurately. He did a good job in the scene where he tests Macduff’s loyalty, at first appearing to be a disgusting person, but then revealing himself as the noble and pure character he really is. Kens seemed to suit the character of Malcolm, because he had a youthfulness about him the was beneficial to Malcolm’s lack experience with women, and he also had a kindness to him that he used when he comforted Macduff. Kens portrayed Malcolm as a leader that deserved support, because of his bravery and kindness. His contrast to the performance of Norris and Peakes made him an especially lovable character, even if he did not spend a huge amount of time on stage.

The witches were also very interesting characters. Strangely, they were played by three men. They had very deep voices and did a good job portraying the witches as very mysterious and devilish creatures, but it was strange that they were not played by women. They were also wearing very gruesome masks, and large torn dresses, with dark accessories, like a hangman’s noose. The witches wore the most elaborate costumes, which added to their performance and dominant stage presence as well. Through the use of song, the witches caldron scene was one of the best scenes in the entire play. Drums were played as the witches chanted their lines to a tune, and this gave a very accurate dark, pagan feel to the witch’s scenes.

Overall, Teller and Aaron Posner’s adaptation of Macbeth was tolerable, but not necessarily good. For everything that could be viewed as ineffective, there was usually something else to cancel it out and make the play bearable.