THE PLAY: Shakespeare’s classic about a noble and his wife who plot to ascend to the throne of Scotland.
THE PRODUCTION: When the stilted opening witches scene held no mystique, that didn’t bode well for what was to come. I kept waiting for these accomplished actors to connect, but it never happened (Ryan Wilson was an exception). One of the challenges of performing Shakespeare is making his eloquent language make sense, but this cast’s dialogue didn’t connect. They also went to the effort of embracing “the Scottish play” by putting most of the men in kilts, yet (with the exception of one character in the first act), nobody had a Scottish brogue. Considering all of these things, it’s clear that the numerous faults lie in the hands of visiting director Jemma Alix Levy. Other flaws: the eerie sound effects were too loud, the swordplay was embarrassingly tentative and the sparse staging featured no theatrical flourishes or dramatic intensity to distract from the bugs, cicadas and trains. Running time: 2:15
THE POINT: The performances are lacking fervor, but this production’s misguided staging rests primarily with the direction.
(2 / 5)
The Richmond Shakespeare Festival produced by Quill Theatre at Agecrocft thru 7/30