Macbeth, tantalized by meddling spellcasters who dangle opportunism like a fish before a tomcat, and his Lady wife, who jettisons virtue for expediency, would seem to be engulfed by circumstances. When he grasps for ethical traction (all that’s needed, after all, is patience) Lady Macbeth seems determined to shame him into action. This frantic, almost solemn contrast between masculine heartlessness and feminine nurturing, is at the core of Shakespeare’s tragedy. No intersection existing between compassion and voracity, Macbeth must choose between the milky and the malicious. The theme is consistent throughout: “unsex me here, you spirits”, “milk of human kindness”, who knew that being female was so contemptible? Might be interesting to consider the witches as embodiment of female duplicity?
Once the newly crowned Thane of Cawdor has the taste in his mouth, he sheds any pretense of civility, layer by layer. He follows (what he chooses to believe) is his destiny, to its logical conclusion, ultimately losing his mind. Along the way, he never figures out that none of the witches’ promises come without a catch. Ironically, Lady Macbeth commits suicide, though Shakespeare mercifully reveals her ambivalence in the famous sleepwalking soliloquy. She does, however, escape accountability. When MacDuff closes in, Macbeth isn’t really clutching to life. He’s been shoved (more or less) in a particular direction, but undeniably, it’s no excuse.
Attending Macbeth (or any Shakespeare play) certain questions arise. Will the company in question bring anything new, intriguing, compelling to this familiar classic? Will the language, the sensibility, the sentience, of the script be accessible? Also: will the result, the performance be entertaining? Will it drag or pop?
Fair Assembly’s current staging of Macbeth, for the most part, is a ringing success. Their interpretation of Macbeth’s swift rise to power, is fresh, assured, vivid and absorbing. The tone is pensive, but urgent. Shout out to cunning Costume Designer Steven Smith. Dressing the characters in contemporary clothes was a savvy choice, it mitigates the unfamiliar Scottish realm where we find ourselves. The actors embrace the lyrical, metaphoric dialogue, ignoring the temptation to recite. They lean in to conversation, which is thorough, if a bit heightened. Their focus leads us down the right path. The three women who portray the witches, in their simple black tunics, are obviously dancers. Their movements, both symbiotic and as one, sublime. Their sense of speaking incantation and prophecy was earnest, if not quite there.
Co-Directors Emily Ernst and Morgan Laure’ have composed the cast, I’d say, intuitively, according to their strengths. They know how to set the mood for each scene, whether comic, disturbing, somber or violent. The instances when we witness more of the actual murders (instead of hearing about them) are unsettling and surprising. Macbeth’s (Brandon Walker) moments of self-doubt have that crucial, tentative quality. He’s taciturn yet forceful. Lady Macbeth (Emily Ernst) has that cunning, understated quality. She has the cache’ to carry off those scrumptious gowns. Dennis Raveneau is instinctively, subtly patrician as Duncan and inspired as the porter, unruly roused from drunken slumber. Shawn Gann, as the Thane of Ross, is touching and articulate. His lines express some of the drama’s enlightened, more spiritual observations, and Gann makes them memorable.
Fair Assembly presents Macbeth, playing May 12th-15th, 2022. Arts Mission Oak Cliff, 410 South Windomere, Dallas, Texas 75218. www.artsmissionoc.org. 214-808-0975