REVIEW: MACBETH at the Guthrie

Anyone walking into a production of Shakespeare's MACBETH should expect it to be a bloody affair. After all, it's one of his most gruesome plays - dark and weird and violent. Its newest incarnation at the Guthrie (the 50th Shakespeare production overall) doesn't falter on any of these; it's a taut and thrilling rendition of one of the Bard's most compelling works.

The play chronicles the Scottish war hero's quick rise to the throne foretold by a trio of witches. Together with his scheming wife, they brutally murder the current monarch and Macbeth ascends to the top. But uneasy lies the head that wears the crown, and suspicion and guilt drive Macbeth down a path of destruction that ultimately lies in his demise.

Director Joe Dowling transports the play to some sort of WWII-era/medieval mash-up. The set of crumbling columns and tattered rocks and dishwashers, clearly evokes war torn Europe. Yet the warriors wear armor mesh over their decorated uniforms. They alternate between firing pistols and lunging with daggers. Yet Dowling doesn't let the conceit spoil the story - after the first few awkward juxtapositions between the eras, he allows the actors to simply tell the story.

And tell it they do. There isn't a weak performance to be found, and many bridge on excellence. As the titular king, Erik Heger is not the gruff, brooding monster many make him. Heger is a charismatic performer, but doesn't shy away from Macbeth's intensity. And as the play goes on, Heger's sudden flares of crazed animation show he's not just despairing - he's lost his mind.

Michelle O'Neill's Lady Macbeth is equally as compelling. From the moment she enters in her white silk costumes (fantastically designed by Monica Frawley) and fiery red hair, she demands attention. She relishes in every turn Lady Macbeth takes, from the cold schemer to the anguished killer in her final scene. And what a final scene it is. O'Neill pulls off Shakespeare's sleepwalking speech with great agility, channeling all the intense guilt and pain she can while showing a considerable amount of restraint.

The ensemble is just as strong. Led by Guthrie stalwarts Barbara Bryne, Isabell Monk O'Connor and Suzanne Warmanen as the Weird Sisters, everyone is ideally cast. The likes of Peter Christian Hansen and Bill McCallum run with their roles, gleefully embellishing the wickedness and heartache of their respective characters.

The actual flaws are few and far between. On opening night the fight routines seemed a bit over-rehearsed and over-careful - something that will likely become more natural as the show continues. And while Dowling does a fantastic job keeping the tension level high, he has a tendency to lay on the shock factor a bit too much in the murder scenes. There are onstage deaths aplenty so when it comes to murdering children, one would hope a director would show a little finesse.

But these setbacks don't stop MACBETH from being a direct and suspenseful retelling of Shakespeare's tragedy. Excellently designed and superbly performed, this 50th Shakespeare production at the Guthrie is surely a triumph.

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