Folger Shakespeare Library: While many productions understandably emphasize Macbeth’s crowd-pleasing supernatural aspects, a new production in Stratford-upon-Avon reminds me that I’m drawn to versions of the tragedy that focus more on the human struggle and find new and unexpected ways into Shakespeare’s tale of “vaulting ambition.”
2 comments:
If this is about that version of Macbeth set in a fast food restaurant in southern PA I will light up with joy.
OH MY GOD I WAS RIGHT! It is about that (among other things.) I should really read all our yesterdays. I tend to dislike restructuring of old tales to feature the women in them because I think it’s antifeminist to literally change what character they do have (because we need to remember that these women did suffer and it’s erasure to make them effortlessly cool without addressing the extreme patriarchy that contextualizes them). I think I can make an exception for Lady Macbeth, because she’s a standout and exists both because of and despite the time period around her. One of my directors told me about Scotland, PA when we were in rehearsals for our own Macbeth, and I think I need to put it on my movie list. Twisting Shakespearean tragedies to comedy has always been something I enjoy the concept of (think Romeo and Juliet).
Macbeth is just one of those shows that can changed into so many variations and still remain true to the same idea. I truely have no idea how people come up with some of these things. I just sound designed a production of Macbeth where the key plot point is the audience hears all the anxiety and inner thoughts of Macbeth throughout the show, the witches fed him lines that rang in the back of his mind throughout the full show and I absolutely loved working it. On the complete contrary, I saw a Macbeth variation recently where the entire show was set in a playground and all the actors were kids and the whole show took place in their imagination. This article further proved my love for Macbeth, even though some variations aren’t my cup of tea, I love seeing how creative some people can be especially with something like Shakespeare which to me seems so hard to change into a whole new story whilst remaining true.
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