(:)(:)(:)(:) for the Scottish Play that starts with an “M” at Shakespeare at Delaware Park in Buffalo, NY. That’s out of a possible 5 so its not the top, but it was a VERY solid production. I asked my daughter if she thought the striking and unusual costumes were “steam punk”– she said more like “Scots Punk”– perfect.
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| Photo from the Buffalo News |
Matt Witten as MacBeth himself (pictured below) was fantastic–pulling off the credible transition from loyal Lord to murdering despot with powerful presence and credibility. Lisa Vitrano was as also strong as Lady MacBeth, although somehow didn’t inhabit the role as fully as Witten. The stark set, the gorgeous costumes and the strong supporting cast: excellent Chris Hatch as MacDuff, very strong Ray Boucher as Banquo, memorable Jamie Nablo as Lady MacDuff. The 3 dancers that played the witches were unusually sexy and made marvelous “weird sisters”
This production cements my conviction that I would rather see Shakespeare’s tragedies than comedies. They are just better stories, more powerful, and easier, frankly, to understand.
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| The weird sisters — usually sexy witches–photo from the Buffalo News |
A note: I am saw minimal nontraditional casting in this play. Almost all of the actors were white. Also, at Oregon Shakespeare Theater they even sometimes cast women in male parts, a type of nontraditional casting that I think is long overdue. Part of our transition to a more equal society, and acknowledgement of the changes happening in our gender continuum, needs to allow women to play traditionally male parts. And this is more important than allowing men to play traditionally female roles because most playwrights are male, most parts are for men, and most actors are women, so there is a strong inequity in casting. I am agnostic as to whether the parts should be re-written to be another gender, sometimes yes sometimes no depending on the play and what the director wants to accomplish and also the playwright’s permission. I’d be wary about changing what a playwright has written. Particularly with the bard.
Just learned that earlier this summer Shakespeare in Delaware Park did an all female cast production of the Merry Wives of Windsor, so scratch all that about non traditional casting–they are way ahead of me