Review: THE TRAGEDIE OF MACBETH at Taffety Punk

It figures that a Riot Grrrls version of “The Tragedie of Macbeth” at Taffety Punk would focus on the witches — or three wyrd sisters, as they’re called here 

The trio (Irene Hamilton, Ashara Knyshel and Rachael Small) are found already writhing as patrons enter the Capitol Hill Arts Workshop — one unspooling a red ribbon from a cauldron, the next extending it, the third cutting it abruptly.

They return to start the second act with an even more eye-opening tableau -- a black light enhanced entwining of colorful banners. And they’re popping up as usual to bedevil the principals with their toil and trouble. 

Their enhanced presence is one of several creative touches to Shakespeare’s play, a tragedy so enduring it can be staged several times a year in D.C. Just this year has been  an internationally acclaimed Shakespeare Theatre Company work with Ralph Fiennes; a new Washington National Opera production of it comes to the Kennedy Center next month. 

Still, the Taffety Punk version, directed by Michelle Shupe, stands strong among them for not just the creative flourishes but for the intimacy of the setting and the strength of the acting.

The strong, 10-female cast operate in a vaguely contemporary setting, with modern day general’s costumes and camouflage and some cell phone usage here and there. 

Indeed, the production seems to lean into the text’s frequent references to being a man, doing the manly thing and other such notions of masculinity. Or maybe they stand out with more irony more because of the players. 

There’s no credit given to the adaptation here — and it veers wildly a couple of places, as when Dawn Thomas Reidy's Porter, dressed as a security guard, pauses to do some standup comedy. 

But it’s largely faithful to the first folio, even as the blame for the bloody murders shift from an ambitious wife to the ideas of advancement planted in the head of Lise Bruneau’s Macbeth by the Wyrd Sisters. And here it’s Important to point out that it’s not the Weird Sisters, as they are often billed, or that they are even meant to be. In Elizabethan times, wyrd comes from the Anglo-Saxon word for fate. These sisters are meant to control destiny. And director Shupe presents them in the form of Norse dieties. 

So if Lady Macbeth doesn't seem to be seen as much, she may be more even more effective in her smaller doses, especially with wild-eyed Tonya Beckman bringing the kind of glamorous intensity that brings to mind Gena Rowlands. 

Six of the other eight cast members handle multiple roles, but put enough into them such that they seem to fully embody entirely different people. 

There’s quite a pace to the action, and yet enough moments to savor lines about dark intent, power grabbing and deceit that seem all too relevant in a fraught political season.

The evocative set by Jessica Moretti has a seeming swirling abyss in the center of the floor and on all the walls a dark swirling of ravens. Sound designer Marcus Kyd enhances this with the sounds of the many birds mentioned in the text, from ravens to owls.

Katie McCreary’s light design shines red at one point to emphasize the blood flowing from an offstage murder scene. Elizabeth Morton’s costumes are effective while remaining vague about the time period (though the security guard outfit is pretty up to date). 

Even in a community where there’s no shortage of “Macbeth,” this “Tragedie” is thoroughly worthwhile, for its deft power and its potent political punch. 

Running time: About two hours and 10 minutes, including one intermission. 

Photo credit: Lise Bruneau and Tonya Beckman. Photo by Chris Grady. 

“The Tragedie of Macbeth” runs through Oct. 12 at the Taffety Punk Theatre Company, operating at the Capitol Hill Arts Workshop, 545 7th St. SE. Tickets available online.

www.taffetypunk.com 

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