I’ve read Shakespeare’s Macbeth, and I’ve enjoyed performances of Shakespeare’s Macbeth, but I’ve never been in Shakespeare’s Macbeth… until now.
Many know the story of Macbeth and the setting. Macbeth (Matthew Baguth) is Thane of Glamis and as he walks through the woods one night with his friend Banquo (Thomas Stagnitta), he stumbles upon three witches – the Weird Sisters (Nina Chubalashvili, Krisztina Foldi, and Kelly Noll). They tell him many things: Macbeth will be Thane of Cardor and Macbeth will be king. Stirred on by these prophecies, Macbeth is encouraged, especially by his wife Lady Macbeth (Shaunette Wilson), to kill King Duncan (Kevin Schwab) so that he can take his predestined place on the throne of Scotland. Once this happens, however, Macbeth becomes crazed and paranoid. He would do anything to remain on the throne and to see his sons as heirs.
That’s as simple as the plot gets. A crazed man and his crazed monologues interspersed with other characters and conversations. But this adaptation of Macbeth is a little different and not the traditional theatre performance. The setting is “Queens, Scotland, not long after the Zombie Apocalypse.” The costumes are not of the Shakespearean era, but something one might see out of a movie such as Zombieland – almost grunge-esque. Instead of sitting in the theatre seats, the audience is immersed in the action and walks around with the actors. Occasionally, the actors even interact with the audience. Macbeth, in one of his crazed monologues, turned towards me with a blank stare and grabbed my shoulder as he spoke. But not only does the audience walk on stage, the audience is taken to the catacombs underneath the stage and is guided through the tunnels there to see the action. The tunnels really resemble both a post-Zombie Apocalypse fortress as well as a slightly modified fortress of Macbeth’s time.
Overall, I must say that the Queens College Theatre Department did a spectacular job in its performance of one of Shakespeare’s most known plays. The interaction really draws the audience in. And though one must stand for most of the performance, it is well worth the pain, for it might be one of the most entertaining and engrossing performances of your life.
Goldstein Theatre
Queens College CUNY
September 5 – September 8 at 7:00 PM
September 9 at 3:00 PM
$15/$12 for QC students & seniors
Marina B. Nebro
