There is a very specific way a William Shakespeare play should be read—it shouldn’t. The 400-year old works of William Shakespeare have always been native to theatre first, text second.
In “Shakespeare in the Raw: Macbeth,” the California State University, Long Beach University Players theater company portrayed the classic tragedy in a “bare bones” production; an homage to the traditional method of theatre. They treated this work in a way that respects the most vital parts of the whole: the dialogue and the acting.
Understanding Shakespeare, in all his iambic glory, is something not easily done if you’re sitting 16 rows back and can hardly see the tragic hero delivering a shattering monologue. However, the Players Theatre provides an intimate setting that allows the audience to connect with tragedy of Macbeth and his kingdom.
There are few props, few decorations, and plenty of powerfully delivered dialogue and action. Directed by Elizabeth Swain, the “bare bones” method of production is deliberate and serves a clear purpose: her wish to put the raw acting at the forefront of the audience.
In that sense, Swain succeeded. Both Robert Hart, who played Macbeth, and Andrea Ma Gee, who played Lady Macbeth, displayed a deep understanding of the characters emotional complexities. But it was when the pair shared the stage and engaged in heated dialogue, that the chemistry between the king and queen was most apparent.
The lack of props forced the actors to emphasize body language and touch. The physicality of the performance added a visceral dimension to Shakespeare’s archaic language.
The play itself is set in Scotland and is centered on the inevitable corruption of Macbeth as well as the devastation of his own kingdom. Hart’s portrayal of Macbeth displayed a spectrum of emotion, with the audience being close enough to feel not only Macbeth’s blind ambition but also his violent catapult into insanity.
Lady Macbeth, a woman both ruled and destroyed by her ambition, was captured seamlessly in this production. The method by which Ma Gee became an extension of this iconic character astounded, leaving the audience enraptured from her first meeting with Macbeth to her departing scene, where we found her attempting to wring the blood from her hands while uttering her woeful cries.
Most unsettling (and, arguably—fascinating) were the recurring witches throughout the play. Portrayed by Gaelyn Wilkie, Miki Benson and Kenna Marcus, the manic way in which the witches circled and hissed their chants and spells, lurching at the audience and leaving me almost frightened with anticipation leaves a lasting impact.
The cast chemistry was cohesive and fluid, without so much as a hiccup or stumble. Macduff’s, played by Florentino Carrillo, rage at the slaughter of his family that demanded to be felt by the audience, and the many bloody scenes that litter the play left me enthralled and legitimately distressed.
The cast as a whole didn’t simply put on a play by William Shakespeare. The CSULB Theatre Arts Department University Players displayed how Shakespeare should be viewed: through the classical bareness of traditional theatre, colorful acting and explosive soliloquys.
“Shakespeare in the Raw: Macbeth” runs through Oct. 25. Performances run through Saturday and again Oct. 20 to 24 at 8 p.m., with select matinee dates at 2 p.m.