Review: A Thrilling Take on a Life We Never Knew With THRICE TO MINE at Jobsite Theater

“Daughter of a Prince, Widow of a King...”

“...And every tale condemns me for a villain...”

Though Shakespeare’s Tragedy is often regaled as one of the “Greatest Tragedies ever written,” it does little if any true accounts behind the people these characters actually were.  Regarded as being steeped in its history,  one of Shakespeare’s most popular plays is actually founded in lore, and ghost story.

Roxanne Fay’s thrilling play, Thrice to Mine, takes the story a step further. Deep diving into the history of who the woman known as Grouch was, and what happened during her life after being born somewhere around 1015 AD.

Roxanne explains the work as follows:

“We know her ancestry and her two marriages, the second marriage being to Macbeth, who would become King of Scots. His wife was indeed his partner in greatness- for when Macbeth became King, he claimed the throne of Scotland in both his and his wife’s name.

Lady Gruoch became the first Queen ever recorded in Scottish history. Macbeth reigned for seventeen years and brought a period of prosperity and stability. He was considered a strong ruler and boon to Scotland. Macbeth and Gruoch gave to the poor, imposed order, and supported Christianity throughout Scotland.

Macbeth and Gruoch were confident enough to leave the country and undertake a lengthy pilgrimage to Rome - unimaginable were they not secure on the throne.”

But throughout her research and the development of the show which had its Premiere at Bridge Street Theatre in August 2019 under the direction of John Sowle, Fay stated that some questions remained.

“What was the nature of the marriage between Gruoch and Macbeth? Did they love each other? Did they have children? Were they ambitious? Were they murderers?”

Jobsite Theater, Resident theatre company of the Straz Center, closes out their remarkable 25th season with Fay’s Thrice to Mine, and in the hands of a female-powered Production Team, this one is stunning marvel and an exceptional close out to a brilliantly executed season.

At its helm are Performer/Playwright Roxanne Fay (Gruoch), and Director Katherine Yacko. The pair come together masterfully to tell the tale written by Fay. The delivery, the staging, the nuance, is like lightning in a bottle. Yacko making her Directorial debut in the Jobsite arena handles the piece with the most steadfast of hands. She is keen to all the fine details laced throughout the script and knows how to get the most out of her performer. I suspect following this, Ms. Yacko will be in the Director’s chair more in the future, for this was an exquisite undertaking that was delivered in the utmost beautiful way.

As Gruoch, what can one say about the enigmatic, true genius that is Roxanne Fay? The way she carries the weight of the text, the subtle nature of the character in each moment to moment, the derived nuance that is laced throughout the script, the otherworldly possession taking hold of her each time the Weird Sisters speak, is something stunning, and will ultimately leave you breathless.

Having seen Fay’s work multiple times, it was to no surprise to me the breath of pure genius that would be delivered here, but this is something other-worldly. Fay becomes almost inhuman and possessed by the nature of this character, and its breathtaking to watch. She captivates the room and for 90 minutes you are laying in her wake, completely and utterly trapped in the best way possible. You remain on the edge of your seat so much, that 90 minutes feels like mere seconds.

With stunning lighting design that washes over the room, Jo Averill-Snell envelops the room with the look, feel, and almost otherworldly nature of the show. The stark green cast delivered during the Weird Sisters is a complete juxtaposition to the rest of the story and beautiful to experience. Coupled with the unique scenic elements delivered by Michael Horn and Scenic Artist Skylar Jay, the technical elements lend well to the world of the show. A show such as this doesn’t need to be plagued with clutter and tons of scenic elements, and the scenic design time does stunning work here, making the piece stand on its own.

Thrice to Mine is on a limited 2 week engagement through August 25th, to close out Jobsite’s 25th Season. Tickets can be purchased by visiting www.strazcenter.org. Jobsite has done it yet again, and proves time and again why #jobsiterocks! Hurry for Grouch, and the Weird Sisters wont be around for long, catch the brilliance of this work before it becomes another stitch in the map of history.

PHOTO CREDIT: STAGE PHOTOGRAPHY OF TAMPA LLC-SPOT

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