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Macbeth

Scot (Not) Free

Macbeth as child's play

Karen Macklin

May 11, 2005

 

Known by most actors as "the Scottish play" (superstition prevents them from saying the title aloud inside the theater), Shakespeare's Macbeth is one of the writer's grittiest accomplishments. It's a beautiful script, but when you get past the intricate phrasing and meticulous rhythm, it all comes down to one thing: A couple's sick desire for power leaves everyone around them dead. Included in the murdered lot are several children -- a curious detail, seeing as the Macbeths have none of their own.

The Cutting Ball Theater's new production explores the pair's childlessness by playing up the often-dismissed fact that they likely just lost a baby. The first time we see Lady Macbeth, for example, she's alone in an empty nursery with a bassinet and abandoned dolls. Also, the dialogue of the three witches on whom Macbeth relies for details about his future is interpreted here as fragments of his mourning wife's conscience, even though the witches themselves are mirror images of him. "He's hearing his wife's voices," says director Rob Melrose in a recent phone chat, "but he's seeing himself." Another thing Melrose's version gets into is the relationship of the power-hungry couple, which, despite their actions, is rooted in a strong and loving partnership. "As heinous as they are as murderers," Melrose says, "it's probably the most successful marriage in Shakespeare." Cutting Ball's Macbeth continues Fridays and Saturdays at 8 p.m. through June 11 at the Exit on Taylor, 277 Taylor (at Ellis), S.F. Tickets are $20-25; call 419-3584 or visit www.cuttingball.com.

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