Macbeth, Shakespeare Theatre Company, Washington, DC

 

Indira Varna and Ralph Fiennes in the Shakespeare Theatre Company production of Macbeth. Photo by Marc Brenner.

Shakespeare Theatre Company (STC) has extended its space for its current production of Shakespeare’s Macbeth, as adapted by Emily Burns, to the former studios of Black Entertainment Television at 1301 W St. in Northeast DC. The former soundstage takes on the feel of an industrial warehouse for this “environmental production.” Somehow losing the “trappings” of the fine Sidney Harman Hall, where one might have expected to find this performance, focuses us more clearly on the reality of each unfolding moment.

Conceived by STC artistic director Simon Godwin and acclaimed English actor Ralph Fiennes, who stars as Macbeth, the production was staged in similar “found” spaces in Liverpool, Edinburgh, and London, before coming to Washington. It is fitting that a play about a man with an unquenchable thirst for power, spurred on by a wife who shares (and perhaps even exceeds) his motivation should be staged in a city where political power is almost sacred.

After moving through the erstwhile “industrial” space, past what could well have been a scene from a recent battle, the audience takes its seats in front of a stage that is guarded by servicemen. This arrangement minimizes the physical distance between the actors and the audience since everyone is now in the same “room.” The air is filled with sounds of battle with aircraft flying dangerously low. The time is now. We could be in Ukraine or Gaza; the war is (or has been) very close.

The three witches (or “weird sisters”) appear, establishing an otherworldly air that seems out of place in this battle zone. They have prophecies about Macbeth and resolve that their next meeting will be with him.

Danielle Flamanya, Lucy Mangan, and Lola Shalam as the Witches in the STC production of Macbeth. Photo by Marc Brenner.

Macbeth, a Scottish general, has returned from defeating those who would have conquered Scotland, in tandem with his fellow general, Banquo. The two are celebrated by the king, Duncan. Macbeth is intrigued by the witches’ words: they foretell that he will become king, but that Banquo’s descendants will be kings. Macbeth interprets this to mean that Banquo, who has been his comrade, is now his rival.

When reunited with his wife, we see that the Macbeths are a well-matched pair, as lusty toward each other as they are toward power. Seizing upon the prophecy that Macbeth will be king, Lady Macbeth pushes him into action, encouraging Macbeth to do whatever is necessary to speed up his accession, even if it means killing King Duncan, who is currently (and conveniently) their guest. But Lady Macbeth does not limit herself to encouraging her husband, she moves from conspirator to accomplice in his crime by “cleaning up” some of the details, framing the men who guarded Duncan. Another visiting Scottish noble, Macduff, discovers the murdered Duncan. The Macbeths feign outrage. Macbeth kills those who guarded Duncan in order to silence them, but claims that he was so enraged that he could not help but kill them. Meanwhile, Duncan’s two sons escape, in fear for their lives, but their actions appear to implicate them as guilty.

The Macbeths invite Banquo and others to a banquet, but Macbeth arranges for Banquo to be killed en route. At the banquet, Macbeth sees an apparition of the now-dead Banquo, causing a great deal of confusion among his guests and concern from his wife. Macduff escapes Macbeth’s tyranny, leaving for England to support Duncan’s son, Malcolm, in his quest to conquer Scotland and gain his proper role as king.

Ben Allen, indira Varna, Rose Riley, and Steffan Rhodri (as Banquo's ghost) in the STC production of Macbeth. Photo by Marc Brenner.

Macbeth meets again with the witches and takes some reassurance from their words: he should beware of Macduff but that “no man born of woman” will defeat him and that he will reign until Birnam Wood comes to Dunsinane (his castle).  He is reassured, since all men are born of women and trees can’t move. Still, in order to hurt Macduff, he orders the murder of Macduff’s wife and children, which ensures that Macduff will be coming for vengeance.

Lady Macbeth, meanwhile, is mumbling and symbolically washing her hands while sleepwalking. She dies, perhaps a suicide. Macbeth appears almost unable to comprehend. Malcolm and Macduff approach with their army, whose members wield tree branches: Birnam Wood has, in fact, come to Dunsinane. undaunted, Macbeth believes he is safe, but Macduff kills him, revealing that he was born by caesarean section, so technically he was not “born of woman” in the usual manner. Macduff is triumphant and Malcolm is crowned King.

Indira Varna and Ralph Fiennes in the STC production of Macbeth. Photo by Marc Brenner.

Fiennes confirms his status as one of the premier contemporary interpreters of Shakespeare, taking his place alongside Kenneth Branagh and Ian McKellen as successors to Laurence Olivier and John Gielgud. His Macbeth is cerebral, more opportunistic than inherently evil, easily manipulated by his wife, whose ambitions may exceed even his own. Once “in” on the plan to kill Duncan and assume power, he is in all the way. Fiennes has the stance of a soldier, delivering Shakespeare’s lines almost naturalistically, and, occasionally, with a twinkle in his eye and more than a modicum of wit. Fiennes delivers some of Shakespeare’s best-known lines as if the words come to him spontaneously, and we hear them as though we have not heard them numerous times before.

Lady Macbeth is not written as Macbeth’s equal, but as embodied by Indira Varna, she often seems to be just that: his equal partner and an eager co-conspirator. Varna’s Lady M looms large over the events of the play; she appears to enjoy the trappings of the monarchy even more than her husband. She is particularly strong in the play’s banquet scene, trying desperately to maintain decorum at the dinner while attempting to minimize the impact of Macbeth’s apparent madness reacting to his vision of Banquo’s ghost. Her sleepwalking scene and its famous, “out, out damn spot,” are delivered with a spontaneity similar to Fiennes.

Fiennes and Varna are the “name” players among the cast, but they are joined by an outstanding company of performers. Steffan Rhodri is especially memorable when he returns as Banquo’s ghost, effectively inducing Macbeth’s breakdown. Ben Turner as Macduff is devastatingly grief-stricken in his emotional response upon learning of the deaths of his wife and children, then fiery in his confrontation with Macbeth. Turner and Fiennes engage in the most realistic sword-play I think I have ever seen on the stage (with fight direction by Kate Waters). Rebecca Scroggs makes Lady Macduff memorably real, doting on and protecting her children. The witches, played by Lucy Mangan, Danielle Flamanya, and Lola Shalam, are both recognizably individual and simultaneously each a part of a whole. Jake Neads and Michael Hodgson as the murderers manage to be both threatening and bumbling, by turns.

Ben Turner as Macduff in the STC production of Macbeth. Photo by Marc Brenner.

Frankie Bradshaw is responsible for the scene and costume design. The scene design appears to be a mostly non-descript and symmetrical façade of a stately building, which serves as a canvas for the action and provides opening and closing doors and a variety of levels. Other furnishings are limited to what is absolutely necessary to set the scene. The costumes are contemporary and finely detailed, with one side wearing green camouflage and the other blue; even the names of the characters are inscribed on them. Jai Morjaria’s lighting design illuminates not just the stage but also the aisles in which characters (indeed, armies!) appear in close proximity to the audience. (At one point, Lady M reaches out to an audience member during her sleepwalking scene.) Anthony Earles for Encore SFX is credited as Special Effects Supervisor, with Christopher Shutt and Sam Clarkson for Sound Quiet Time credited for Sound Design and Sound System Designers. Who did what and where one’s work begins and another’s ends is undeterminable because of the seamless way in which the visual and aural come together.  

Godwin’s direction is delivered with bold strokes, utilizing the non-traditional space in a way that somehow makes the action more accessible and closer to us. By contemporizing his approach and in some instances minimizing the settings, Godwin gets motivationally-real performances from the cast and emphasizes the delivery of Shakespeare’s language.

STC’s Macbeth was a “hot” ticket well before it opened, though some tickets may be available due to cancellations. Additionally, Today Tix (todaytix.com) makes a few tickets available through their website or app. STC offers a free shuttle to the site from the Rhode Island Avenue Metro Station. Those fortunate enough to see this production will remember it “tomorrow and tomorrow and tomorrow.”