Theater Review: CCSF’s ‘Macbeth’ A Brilliant And Timely Production

 “Double, double, toil and trouble. Fire burn and cauldron bubble.”

 Because of the witches featured in “Macbeth,” some believe William Shakepeare incorporated real evil spells into the play. So consequently Shakespeare’s “Macbeth” has a stage superstition attached to it that forbids speaking the name of the play in a theater because it will bring bad luck to the production. Instead it’s referred to as "The Scottish Play.” There’s even a ritual of how one can remove the curse if you accidentally utter it. 

 Cursed or not, the Cape Cod Shakespeare Festival's summer production of “The Scottish Play” proves that this timeless story of power, ambition and violence remains as urgent today as ever. 

 Under CCSF’s Terry Layman’s direction, the talented cast of young and old in the unique setting of Chatham’s Kate Gould Park will keep your attention for the show’s nearly two hour runtime. The actors conveyed Shakespeare’s words in such a realistic manner that it makes them almost sound contemporary. It’s always fascinating to me how many of Shakespeare’s lines are a part of our everyday language. 

 Everyone in this production is great, from Bernard Cornwell’s distinguished portrayal of King Duncan to Banquo’s young son Fleance, an adorable Logan Danielson. 

When three witches (Chelsea Sasserson, McKenna Whyte-Shearer and Sylvie Weimer) prophesy that Macbeth (Reid Williams) would soon be king, both Macbeth and his wife are excited at the prospect, ignoring the fact that the current king, King Duncan, has two sons. Then Duncan makes Macbeth Thane of Cawdor, and it seems like the prophecy could come true. 

 Wiiliams realistically shows how a good man, when shown the “what ifs,” can push aside civility, loyalty and respect. Both my theater companion and I were equally struck by Arlene Bozich’s portrayal of the ambitious Lady Macbeth. She truly humanized her. So often the character is portrayed as a “heartless villain, but we saw a character who loved her husband and couldn't pass up an opportunity,” said my friend.

 Other noteworthy performances were Gus Cook as Duncan’s son, Malcolm; he delivered his many monologues with clarity and purpose. And in one poignant scene, Christopher Andrew Rowe as MacDuff brought us to tears. Also Scott Hamilton’s deadpan delivery as Macbeth’s servant Seyton was hilarious. I must say though that the entire cast deserve a mention: Pedro Fontes’s Banquo, Laura Axelrod’s Lady Macduff, Ace Agnes’s Donalbain, and the ensemble, including Shelby Barrett-Whitmore, Holly Hill, Thomas Biamonte and Todd Cashdollar, were all excellent. 

 The well-choreographed fight scenes (credited to Casey Predovic) were intense, especially Macbeth’s tragic end at Macduff’s hand; the use of the park’s hill for a few scenes were striking, most notably when you see Birnam Wood “moving” down Dunsinane Hill, thus fulfilling one of the prophecies. That use of the park in the staging of the show impressed my other companion. Sharon Martin’s costume designs with assistance from Tessa Dufrene were evocative of the era, and in light of the recent fascination with the Scottish in Boston during the World Cup, it was great to see men in tartans. Stage manager Bailey Dahl and assistant stage manager Sabrina Serota are the secret sauce behind the scenes. 

 As an added bonus only a setting such as this could provide, we enjoyed seeing a rabbit hop through in front of us during Lady Macbeth’s “out, damned spot, out I say!” soliloquy. Bring your chair and grab a spot overlooking the bandstand in Kate Gould Park and enjoy Shakespeare in a whole new light!