Review: MACBETH Brings Smoke and Mirrors and Projections to the Nightmare in Scotland

Ensemble joins Santa Barbara in celebrating the 400th anniversary of Shakespeare's death with several weeks of Macbeth and Macbeth-themed education events in the community. Besides Ensemble's production of Macbeth (directed by Jonathan Fox), Ensemble has also partnered with The Globe for youth educational outreach, and hosted a lively Shakespeare panel featuring Fox and several Shakespeare scholars from the University. The panel, which offered a fascinating history of the play and its political and theatrical context in King James's England, illuminated the complexity of this particular work.

Whether you focus on the role of women, themes of political ambition, or dramatic irony within the theatrical lexicon, Macbeth offers much to contemplate. The work, both as a literary piece and a theatrical vehicle, has been interpreted broadly--from history play glorifying King James to a story that takes place in a "Stranger Things"-style upside-down dream world. Supernatural harbingers of destiny manifest in the form of ghostly visions and encounters with the three weird sisters, witches who foretell events via riddles and incantations. Macbeth's world is one of magic, a place that's (whether by design or due to translational quirk or even playwright edits for length) seemingly free of time and distance.

Macbeth stand out within the Shakespearian canon because he's one of the few villainous leading characters, a category he inhabits with Richard III. However, there's an important difference between the two characters: Dick 3 exhibits sociopathic tendencies, even experiencing rapture in his evildoings, as opposed to Macbeth's complex relationship with his murderous behavior. Macbeth and his wife are self-aware enough to question their motives and continue down their troubled path with comprehension of their crimes. This aspect of Macbeth is one that brands it a tragedy: the tale of a ruthless leader haunted by his grisly deeds.

Dark forces prophesy that warrior nobleman Macbeth shall be king of Scotland, and his fellow Thane, Banquo (the supposed distant ancestor of King James, according to Holinshed's Chronicles, where many of the concepts and characters in Macbeth originate), would beget a line of kings. Macbeth, with the emphatic support of Lady Macbeth, turns the prophecy self-fulfilling by assassinating King Duncan, causing a rift in the kingdom when Duncan's sons flee to distant shores.

Now king, Macbeth's paranoia (and unforgiving grip on power) drives him to perpetuate a series of murderous deeds that leave him and his wife haunted by the ghosts of his victims. Scottish nobleman Macduff takes up arms with Duncan's son, Malcolm, who brings borrowed English forces to storm Macbeth's castle in Scotland. Despite supernatural warnings hidden in mystic equivocations, Macbeth believes himself invincible, and defends his title to his death at the hands of MacDuff.

Ensemble's production of Macbeth offers its own version of this "other" reality, a barren, desert atmosphere of tall, bunker-style walls with a keyhole view of a bleak landscape, both alien and earthlike, just beyond. A technically ambitious production, much of the scenery and effects are projected images on set walls and screens, giving the show a cinematic feel.

The projection use is certainly impressive, though execution within context of the performance was variably successful. Projections like the phantom dagger and the columned hallway work well because they are clean and precise. The problem areas were the chaotic moments, such as stormy nights and magic-induced light crackling in sudden wilderness. The projections work best when characters tread away from projection surfaces to avoid losing movement and facial expression in the light show. Chaos in a play like Macbeth can raise tension, but the point of diminishing returns occurs when fancy tech work distracts from the performances, destroying the illusion. For instance, when the three weird sisters appear in the final moments, they appear at the exact moment Macbeth dies, and their presence distracts from the kill shot. It takes a while to find symbiosis between what a new technology can offer and how it can be best applied within the artistic vision of the company. It's exciting to see Ensemble taking these risks in theatre magic.

Jamison Jones, who plays Macbeth in Ensemble's production, portrays the villain king with staccatos of maliciousness and misogyny that make him particularly unlikeable. The erratic indulgence of these malicious moments, such as throwing Lady Macbeth (Kathryn Meisle) against the wall in an aggressive show of intimate dominance; or shooting infant Macduff; were too few to create character, and seemed out of place in an otherwise subdued production. I certainly don't mind a Macbeth who destroys absolutely--but it works best when that annihilation is consistent, from bequeathment of Cawdor's title to beheading.

Even for a play without an abundance of revelry, Ensemble's production felt somber. The cast is made up of strong performers, but I wanted more from everyone. I'm certainly not advocating overacting in a play full of silent storming, but underacting undercuts tension, and I craved clarity of purpose. Ensemble's Macbeth is visually interesting, and it gets the job done despite some strange breaks in the language and under-utilization of soliloquies. Macbeth is an important and fascinating play, and I recommend seeing it, reading it, and learning about its history. Ensemble's Macbeth does not bring performers or audience members to the brink of epiphany, but it faithfully presents one of Shakespeare's greatest works.

Ensemble Theater Company Presents:

MACBETH

by William Shakespeare, directed by Jonathan Fox

Featuring: Rudolph Willrich, Paul David Story, AK Murtadha, Kathryn Meisle, Leslie Gangl Howe, Christine Sage, Jamison Jones, Joseph Fuqua, and James Joseph O'Neil

ensembletheatre.com

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