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Curtain Calls XTRA

By John Quinn

Something Wicked Wayne's Way Comes

William Shakespeare's "Macbeth" is considered unlucky, and superstitious theater types don't mention the name – referring instead to the "Scottish Play." While the Hillberry Theatre production is by no means cursed, Fate conspires to keep a fine production from becoming an outstanding one. As Shakespeare might have put it (but didn't), "God is in the details."
Certainly what details we have are choice. While we're familiar with the basic story of an ambitious usurper brought down by his guilt, Director Gillian Eaton works to bring out the twisted, demented elements of the plot. She envisions this production as "a night play set in a world that is between destruction and construction." We see "a world without comfort, where our imaginations take us to dreadful places and we are contaminated by violence."
Dare we note the very "Detroitness" of this production? The stark industrial scaffolding that forms the set and the harsh work lights that illuminate it shout out industrial design. And the costuming is a winner: black kilts with chrome studs, mesh muscle shirts, harnesses, chains – lots of chains; and the entire cast in army boots – sort of Inverness as leather bar. The effect is very, very edgy.
The staging is for the most part highly effective, especially when the director pushes the envelope. When out on the edge, this show shines; only when it pulls back may we be disappointed.
Of special note is the exceptional handling of the supernatural elements in the play. This production turns the Weird Sisters out of their witches' guise and back to their underlying mythology – the Fates, the goddesses of destiny – complete with cutting short the threads of the lives of men. The second act prophecy scene will be hard to forget.
The heart and soul of this production is Eddie Collins in the title role. He deftly handles the emotional roller coaster from reluctant regicide to callous murderer, and finally the cornered victim of his own folly.
His wife and driving force is ably performed by Carly Germany. Shakespeare wasn't one to write two-dimensional characters, and Lady Macbeth is a plum role. The stronger and more powerful she is portrayed early, the more poignant her sleepwalking scene after guilt finally cracks her iron will.
This production only trips on Shakespeare's style. Some of this stuff made perfect sense to a Jacobean audience, but it's really boring for us today. That being said, the audience relies on the cast to clarify the murky sections; we shouldn't be asking halfway through a scene, "What the hell is going on?"
Some cast members race through the chaff to get to the heart of a scene, yet this approach murders the tempo. We hear characters delivering the lines, but not acting the subtext that gives meaning to those lines (case in point, Act IV, scene iii). But there's a lot to like in this "Macbeth." By and large it's an entertaining, educational experience.
"Macbeth" Performed in repertory Wednesday through Saturday at the Hilberry Theatre, 4743 Cass Ave., Detroit, Jan. 9 – March 4. Tickets: $12 – $20. 313-577-2972. www.theatre.wayne.edu/t_hilberry.html.
The Bottom Line: Sit back and take in the big picture: "Macbeth" has the bite to beat the mid-winter blues.

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