Macbeth
One need not travel far in Los Angeles to find a good dose of treachery, betrayal, greed, and naked ambition--virtually any production studio or corner-office power lunch will suffice. But one is well-served to take a scenic drive in the Topanga Canyon to Will Geer’s Theatricum Botanicum to witness these themes in the hands of the immortal bard. The Theatricum’s staging of Macbeth adds few wrinkles to the classic tragedy, but tells the story well in a venue that seems placed on earth to host Shakespeare.
The play famously opens with an assembly of prophetic witches who declare their next meeting shall be with Macbeth, “When the battle’s lost and won,” and who set the tone for the entire play with their incantation that “Fair is foul, and foul is fair.” Soon the witches’ prophecies unfold after Macbeth’s appetite for power is whetted by the glory he receives after a courageous battle to defeat enemy forces opposing King Duncan.
Macbeth (played by Jim LeFave) will encounter the witches again shortly thereafter—this time with Banquo (Michael McFall), a fellow military hero in the recent battle. The witches intone several more prophecies that send Macbeth down the path to murdering Duncan, and finally Banquo, whom Macbeth fears will take the throne to which he has ascended after murdering the king.
The morning after Duncan’s murder, it is believed he was killed by his guards, who were framed by Lady Macbeth’s (Susan Angelo) planting of their daggers in the king’s chambers. However, Macduff (Aaron Hendry), one of Duncan’s loyal thanes, has his suspicions and flees to England to begin plotting against Macbeth. Macbeth, who by now is overcome with guilt, goes to the witches once more and is told “Beware Macduff.”
Uneasy lies the head that wears a crown (to borrow from another Shakespeare play), and Macbeth and his wife suffer total mental anguish from their horrific crime. Lady Macbeth, after a famous sleepwalking scene, kills herself, and Macbeth himself is finally dispatched by Macduff who has returned to avenge Duncan, and his own family, whom Macbeth had killed earlier.
Short of being at the Globe Theatre itself, it’s hard to imagine a more fitting ambience to stage this play. The Theatricum Botanicum is a gorgeous outdoor theatre built into the side of a hill, employing the surrounding trees and foliage to seemingly enlarge an already vast stage. The actors are apt to enter from, and interact in, any number of spots in the theater. Indeed, there is a fantastic novelty and authenticity to seeing the actors leave stage by fleeing into the woods.
The play is well acted, particularly by Macduff and Lady Macbeth, and William Dennis Hunt has a fantastic comedic turn as an inebriated porter, after being killed off in his starting role as King Duncan. The witches are riveting and deliciously malformed, seeming to relish their various afflictions and abnormalities.
The only cloud on the horizon was the performance of the lead himself. Though LeFave has some excellent moments, particularly his self-consuming reaction to his ghastly crimes, he hardly seems to have the stature or regal bearing you might expect from Macbeth. His body language is slovenly and he seems cowed at times by Lady Macbeth.
LeFave is a firecracker in the battle scenes, however, and the massive stage allows for some very realistic and physical fight scenes. The swords, witnessed up close as the actors ran up the stairs past my seat, were real—big and ponderous; and the overall effect was sensational as soldiers creep out of the various nooks and crannies of the quaint and clever theatre. One minor drawback to the costuming was the seemingly widespread use of Red Wing work boots to shod the actors.
Macbeth is a play always worth having a look at, and this production, set in the most charming of theatres, is an excellent way to spend an evening. The play is being shown in repertory with As You Like It (June1-September 28); A Midsummer Night’s Dream (June 7-28 & August 7-September 1); The School for Scandal (June 28-September 27); and Long Day’s Journey into Night (July 26-September 27) at the Theatricum. So grab a picnic basket, a bottle of wine, and come enjoy some theatre!
Macbeth can be seen at The Will Geer Theatricum Botanicum at 1419 N. Topanga Canyon Blvd. in Topanga Canyon June 7th through September 28th. For tickets and more information, call (310) 455-3723 or visit online at www.theatricum.com