Shakespeare is not as difficult or inaccessible as has been reported it the past. The language and grammar might need a little time to adjust to. There may be bits that you don’t understand. But even a production of Macbeth in Japanese is easy to follow. Taiko drums help. And people seem to like the ballets and operas. Sondheim and Bernstein couldn’t have done a better job, and there was not one line of Shakespeare in the show or movie. And Akira Kurosawa did a pretty good job with Ran.
So, it’s very popular for drama students to want to sink their teeth into a bloody Henry or a saucy Midsummer Night’s Dream. Many believe it should be taught by the Drama Department, not the English Department. Do university bookworms know the difference between monologues and soliloquies and why each is used?
So, Macbeth. This Thane (a minor royal) is out in the woods with his best mate. They come upon three witches (fortune-tellers) who predict his future: yea, you’re gonna be king. They believed in omens and wizardry in those days. How else can you explain the moon stealing the sun from the sky midday? So, with the help of the missus, Macbeth kills King Duncan. But he also needs to get rid of the rest of the pesky relatives in line for the throne in advance of him. Once that’s done, he’s got a bit more wrapping up to do. You’ve got to find a way to kill him off in the end or it wouldn’t be a tragedy. Macbeth... Done.
Now, to the telling. And this is where actors and, more recently, directors come in. The director and actors decide how everyone feels about what their character is doing. The director sets the tone and atmosphere: makes sure everyone is on the same page. Then we bring in the folderol: costumer, lighting, sound, props and anything else that they think they can spend money on.
This production of Macbeth: Sleep No More gets a few things right. The four performers here are able to devise suggestive costume pieces so we know who everyone is. We are never in doubt who they are. They get on and off in a fashion that is informative and engaging. They have all of their lines memorized. There seems to have an ease and familiarity within the cast that creates ease on stage. We are securely aware of what is happening.
But there is so much else that is missing, that it feels like the actors are from a boys’ school production for the parents and staff. It is the responsibility of the director to makes sure that the tone and interpretation are set. For instance, often directors will imbue Lady Macbeth with the power (stand by your man): urging him on, even bullying him. Sometimes, Macbeth himself can take the lead. And sometimes it's just plain old fate (blame the witches).
The actors don’t seem to have been able to manage more than one emotion or intent at a time. There is sarcasm when there should be darkened omen, fear, ambition. We should feel that the characters know what is at stake. The witches are fortune-tellers. They have no power to make anything happen. They just tell what they see. Macbeth is a good guy in the beginning but gets caught up in the growing plot that everyone seems to feed in on. And then there’s Lady Macbeth. Does she want this for herself or her husband? Is she just caught up in it? There has to be some reason why she’s all gung-ho and then ends up killing herself.
There is no doubt that these fine women have worked hard. It feels that the cast and director have reached for the most superficial and expedient interpretations.