Something wickedly entertaining this way comes
Presented by the Notorious Theatre Company and performed on the University of Guelph campus, Macbeth will run from July 5 to 7 at the George Luscombe Theatre. This twisted adaptation of Shakespeare’s Scottish play entertains, unsettles, and delivers from beginning to end. The original text is edited down, musical numbers are added in, and the balance was just right for audience members to engage.
“[The Notorious Theatre Company] was established for the sake of rebooting a production of Macbeth performed in 2015 by Urban Arts Project’s second year class,” said Jared Ireland, who played Malcolm and is a second-year architectural science student at Ryerson. “UAP is a Guelph-based, off-campus high school arts program created by Kelly McCullough and Jeffrey Bersche for students in grades 10 to 12. UAP also had a partnership with U of G’s Theatre Studies program, of which McCullough is an alumnus.” This production of Macbeth used sound, lighting, and blocking to push audience members gently past their comfort zones and into the world of the play. The surprising use of pop songs accompanied by acoustic guitar and performed alongside choreographed dances made the show accessible and entertaining, so that even those who may not be a fan of Elizabethan English would be able to relate to the story of an overambitious, murderous, and guilt-ridden couple.
“What’s unique about Shakespearean adaptations done in our style is the dichotomy between old and new and the atmosphere that creates,” said Jodre Datu, who played both King Duncan and a Murderer and is a fourth-year biomedical toxicology student at U of G. “You can’t have that dichotomy with a modern show. With Shakespeare done in our style, you’ll have iconic lines and monologues paired with pop songs — for instance, Lady Macbeth’s famous ‘unsex me’ soliloquy precedes [the song] ‘Primadonna’ by Marina and the Diamonds. This creates something novel and invites younger audiences to engage with classic literature in a new way.” As actors passed back and forth in the aisles, shrouded in darkness, the fourth wall seemed to close just behind the last row of the auditorium. Through that framework, the audience’s position as voyeur was reflected in that of the three witches, who stalked Macbeth and Lady Macbeth across the stage relentlessly. While the witches intentionally manipulate things to tragic ends, the audience’s polite silence effectively demonstrated that the inaction of bystanders in the face of political upheaval is equally troubling.
The ordered violence of the military and the innate violence of wild animals represented, most effectively through the costume design and movement of the three witches, was unnerving. According to Nicole Pryce — who played Macduff and did set, prop, and costume design for the production — the biggest change made was that “we gave control to the witches. These strong ever-present witches are three nasty women who get what they want. When paired with the influence of a very dominating Lady Macbeth it created a kind of strength that supersedes the power of the patriarchy by dismantling it from within.” Pryce, who studied media production at Ryerson, also spoke to the production’s connection to today’s political climate.“Even without the changes, the content of this play is very relevant,” said Pryce. “The overall message of great power creating great corruption is still a significant topic today. In this play we see a man of honour and integrity who has every reason to be content with the life he has, throw it all away because a little voice plants the idea in his head that he could have more. Macbeth is consumed in his ambition, and even acknowledges that seeking power for the sake of power will yield nothing but chaos and destruction. However, ignoring rational thought, ignoring his lack of qualification, Macbeth creeps his way to the top and rules as a tyrant. The story of a greedy man taking a job he is unfit for, all in the name of power, is sadly all too familiar in this political climate. Macbeth is a play about a man who strives to be a ruler because he is told it is achievable not because it is what’s best for the country. I think that’s a message that hits close to home for a lot of us.”
The Notorious Theatre Company’s production of Macbeth benefited from strong performances across the board by talented performers guided by an exacting director. “Incorporating skills learned throughout the semester [in the Urban Arts Project’s class], such as dance, bucket drumming, singing, ukulele, stage combat,” as mentioned by Ireland, it seemed to be a cast of all-around entertainers determined to execute everything they did with the utmost precision, effort, and heart.