You’ve likely heard not to yell ‘fire!’ in a crowded theater, but did you know it’s taboo to speak aloud the name of Shakespeare’s Scottish play too?
It turns out, the “Macbeth Curse” superstitions have been around since William Shakespeare himself. The belief is that saying “Macbeth” aloud in the theater results in disastrous consequences because witches put a curse on the show after Shakespeare added real spells to his scripts.
Whispers from the audience of the curse set the stage for a sinister show before the performance even began, but the haunting twists and turns that came after were all thanks to the outstanding performance of the cast in Richmond Shakespeare’s Macbeth, directed by James Ricks.
For those of you who haven’t immersed yourself in the world of Macbeth since high school English class (I include myself in this category), here’s a plot refresher: Macbeth is visited by three witches, also known as the Weird Sisters, who tell him that he will soon become Thane of Cawdor and ultimately King. The rest of the play follows Macbeth as he does everything in his power to make this prophecy come true (with some heavy-lifting help from his conniving wife, Lady Macbeth).
Memorable Moments from Cast and Crew
I was immediately impressed by the talent of the cast. James Murphy, who plays Macbeth, brings a relatableness to his character through his musings and uncertainties that I wouldn’t have felt simply reading Shakespeare’s words on a page. He flows between serious, heartfelt speeches and humorous one-liners effortlessly, and I found myself rooting for Macbeth even in all of his wrongdoings.
Marie Lucas wows with a commanding stage presence as Lady Macbeth in her Richmond Shakespeare debut. You would think Lucas was born to play this role – every emotion that the full-of-fire Lady feels, from excitement to longing, surprise to anger, you feel right along with her due to Lucas’s full body-and-soul performance.
A personal favorite was Eddie Webster as the Porter, the lively (and drunken) gatekeeper to Macbeth’s castle. Webster manages to take a minor character and turn him into arguably the most memorable. Smiling, disheveled-looking, and half barefoot, Webster involved the audience in his performance and earned the most chuckles of the evening, adding welcome humor to a mostly tragic tale. Other favorites were the three witches (played by Paisley LoBue, Emma Mason, and Kendall Walker) whose mesmerizing movements made the hairs stand up straight on my arms and my breath catch, as well as Macduff (played by Adam Valentine) whose powerful performance of grief and rage felt so raw and real. I also enjoyed watching the playful teasing between Lady Macduff (Rachel Dilliplane) and her son Nigel (7th grader Hank Astoria).
An Immersive Theater Experience
This was my first time experiencing a show at Dominion Energy Center’s Gottwald Playhouse, and the intimate setting had me feeling as if I was part of the play instead of simply watching it. Characters crawl, march, and sprint on and off the stage from all corners of the room, and the lighting and audio add to the spookiness of the story, creating a setting that feels otherworldly. There were multiple fight scenes, all choreographed by Aaron Orensky (he’s been studying theatrical and martial combat for over twenty five years!). The clangs of the swords and the easy footwork will have you momentarily thinking you’re watching a real battle.
With a play that encompasses such supernatural beings like witches and ghosts, I found myself wondering how these sorts of characters would be portrayed onstage to appear both realistic and mystical. Would the ghost of Banquo (a commander in the king’s army, played by Patrick Rooney) truly look ghost-like? Would the witches’ apparitions emulate the magic of the text? Without giving anything away, I can say that the production team did an exceptional job with these scenes, creating spellbinding yet haunting moments that stuck with me long after the curtain call.
The cast of Macbeth brought wit and warmth to a stage full of tragedy, not only bringing Shakespeare’s famous words to life, but threading those words with new meaning as well.
Richmond Shakespeare’s Macbeth plays at Libby S. Gottwald Playhouse through April 18th, and tickets are available on their website. The play runs just over two hours and 30 minutes, which includes a 15-minute intermission. Note: The performance includes a fog machine as well as violence, death, and suicide.
