Macbeth
Assistant Director: Noah Heller
Produced by Shakespeare Dallas
Audience Rating: PG-13
Running Time: 2 hours and 15 minutes with a 15 minute intermission
Accessible Seating: Available
Hearing Devices: Available
Sensory Friendly Showing: Not Available
ASL Showing: Not Available
Sound Level: Comfortable volume, some effects may be loud for some patrons
Audio/Visuals to Prepare For: lightening, violence, use of stage weaponry, murder depiction, murder of unborn, head on a pike, witches, flashing lights, fog machine used
Reviewed by Tim Bass
I have long believed that any admirable rendition of a Shakespeare tragedy must allow its audience to drink in the language of The Bard while still clearly following the story. While this may seem a simple ask, most productions I have seen tend to fall short. Shakespeare Dallas, however, proves masterful at this art with its gripping production of Macbeth, presented in the round at Theatre Three. While this is a richly rendered, confidently acted staging with no weak players, the most indelible impressions of the night came from the women of the cast.
Natalie Young’s Lady Macbeth commands the stage from her first entrance. She presents an assured exterior as she goads and guides her husband’s ambitions, but Young lets us see the fissures beneath that composure: hairline cracks that slowly, chillingly widen as the play progresses. By the time her fate is revealed, it seems a logical progression. Her work is all the more impressive given the doubling required in this small cast: in addition to her powerful portrayal of Lady Macbeth, Young steps admirably into the role of the Third Witch. And in this play, the witches are no mere device.
Nicole Berastequi is a force as both Hecate and Ross. Her Hecate is at once magnetic and malignant, an otherworldly presence who demands attention the moment she steps into the light. She also anchors one of the most visually striking scene of the production, components of which you might see in Cirque du Soleil.
Rounding out this trio of unforgettable female performances is Jasonica Moore. As the First Witch, her cadence, tone, and movement create a hypnotic, unsettling energy early in the play. As Lady Macduff, she brings raw emotional truth to her character’s fury at her husband’s abandonment before facing the play’s most gruesome act, a testament to Act II Macbeth’s indiscriminate cruelty. Together, these three women shape the emotional architecture of the production.
While the women of the cast mesmerized me, the men are every bit their performing equal. Bryan Pitts delivers an ambitious, physically imposing Macbeth. His Macbeth is no mere pawn on his wife’s chessboard, especially in the early going. His clear, lyrical command of the text and resonant voice lend coherence and gravity as Macbeth’s moral universe crumbles around him. I have seen Macbeth played by every manner of man, but Pitts’ powerful physical presence adds dimension to the character’s unraveling.
Dennis Raveneau provides welcome “relief” as the drunken Porter, making the scene one of the most enjoyable renditions I have seen. He is one of those performers who is hard to take your eyes off of as either the Porter or his grounded, thoughtful Doctor.
Adrian Godinez makes an excellent Macduff, contrasting Macbeth’s solidity with a fluid, almost serpentine quality. For Game of Thrones fans, he is the Viper to Macbeth’s Mountain.
Brandon Whitlock, Jon Garrard, Omar Padilla, T.A. Taylor, and Efren Paredes round out this stellar ensemble, each delivering work worthy of a praise in any review!
The production’s technical elements feel like an additional character, one watching, stirring, and shaping the atmosphere. Sound designer Kellen Voss and lighting designer Aaron Johansen not only do excellent individual work but also craft an enticing sonic and visual world that supports the text rather than overshadowing it. Their collaboration creates a subtle modern quality within an otherwise traditional telling, and it works, overcoming my initial doubts in short order.
One visual choice that stood out was the persistent presence of The Witches’ cauldron at center stage. I can only guess at the director’s intent with this choice, but for me it became dual metaphor as both a receptacle and a font of malice. Characters circled it, spoke into it, even deposited something inside (I won’t spoil what). Its constant presence lent the production an eerie, mythic weight. It was, of course, central to The Witches’ scenes as well. The presentation of The Witches in this production was one of my favorite directorial choices, and I looked forward to what they would bring each time they manifested. The cauldron itself was but one example of scenographer and costume designer Kory Kent’s admirable work.
Fight director David Saldivar had a tall order staging combat in Theatre Three’s tight theatre-in-the-round configuration, and the cast executes the choreography with clarity and conviction. If the sight of swooping, clanging prop swords makes you nervous, perhaps avoid the front row, but it is admirable work and choreography.
Director Jenni Stewart uses the round with exceptional care, crafting sightlines that feel intentionally considered from nearly every angle. Seated in what may have been the worst seat in the house (my own fault for pushing my arrival time) I still found only one moment in which my view felt disadvantaged. That is a triumph in a space full of inherent challenges. Her treatment of the tragedy will have me looking for her welcome name heading future productions.
The entire cast and production team has reason to be proud. Whether you are a devoted Shakespeare enthusiast or a casual fan dipping a toe into the Scottish Play for the first time, Shakespeare Dallas’ Macbeth is absolutely worth your time. The production runs now through February 1, and you won’t want to miss it.
To the Explorers of the Soul,
Tim Bass
Photos by Kevin J. Hamm
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