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I
directed Macbeth at the Met
Theatre in Hollywood. We had a lot of fun bringing
this dark tale to life. I tried to avoid the clichés of chanting
witches and an evil temptress by staying focused on the immediacy
of the language in each moment, filling every word with intention
and purpose and specificity. We found what I believe to be an entirely
original take on the story's magic, a way of understanding the supernatural
forces in the play that simultaneously supports the text, reveals
some of the deeper thematic elements, and frankly creeps me out
a whole lot. And we explored a simple and theatrical way of telling
a big story on a small canvas.
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"About
a dozen actors, under the capable leadership of director Josh
Costello, come together to retell the familiar story of Macbeth
and his rise to the throne and ultimate demise because of
fear, greed, and ambition. In this production, Robert Tobin
as Macbeth has imposing stage presence. So, too, does Julie
Ann Hassett as his Lady Macbeth... John Rocha also does nice
work as Macduff... kudos to Costello's very creative staging."
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-BackStage
West |
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| "An
intimate look at the dark side... Josh Costello’s directing
brings the well known story to a new setting... an evening of
dark delight... the demise of this power-hungry lord inspires
shock and satisfaction simultaneously... an extremely intimate
setting, with the audience so close that it's practically part
of the action. I loved the immediacy of it. I felt the fourth
wall disappear as I was pulled forcefully into the action taking
place just feet away on stage..."
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-LA
Splash |
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| "This
is a play that’s familiar to nearly everyone, but the
MET troupe’s junkie witches and turnabout Brechtian staging
brings fresh blood to the familiar. It’s evident even
before the play begins, as director Josh Costello piles all
the bodies on the stage, welcoming us to the coming bloodbath...
Right away, we see we’re in new territory, as not all
the witches are female in this show, nor all their sorcery paranormal;
prophesy is taken in this play under the “spell”
of a hypodermic syringe... Tobin [as Macbeth] quickly realizes
that his fate is his fault, and it weighs on him. Heavily. Lady
Macbeth isn’t burdened by conscience, and Ms. Hassett
gives her none. Ms. Hassett, in fact, gives the play its very
chilly best, looking at her husband adoringly only when he is
most murderous, but remaining a hectoring maniac in his moments
of humanity. Ms. Hassett is cool even when the script is edgy;
she’s the rock-solid anchor on which all the treachery
of the play is moored. Loved her in this part. ...The kaledaiscope
that is the rest of the cast twists artfully with every scene,
revealing new characters, faces patterns at every turn. One
actor, Adam Burch, takes no less than six parts—worth
watching for...the decision not to slur the pace I think in
this case is a judicious one, as the kinetic scramble of the
actors weaving in and out of scenes actually creates more excitement
than conventional stagings. And then there are those marvellous
convulsions under the spell of the syringe—some very superior
body-acting is accomplished here, more than one time, more than
two, more than three—everyone’s got the fever, in
fact, even Tobin. I hope someone from one of those crime shows
catches this production; the whole cast is easily ready not
just for more Shakespeare, but for CSI Vegas too." |
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| "...modernized,
in this case, doesn't mean mutilated, and the rich, bloody language
is the Dog Star of this production... we liked this production
very much. On a dirty, jagged postage-stamp of a stage, no more
than twelve feet square, a strong ensemble cast steps forward,
says their lines of unspeakable terror and beauty, and then
steps down to the side... Tobin makes Macbeth seem like a really
nice guy who just cracks under the pressure of the murders,
and his greater madness, when it does come, is a shocking contrast
to the sweet-faced first act. Hassett, unfortunately (and this
is Shakespeare's fault) doesn't get enough time on stage, but
she shines in the great scene where Banquo's ghost comes and
sits at the dinner table with Macbeth and fellow lords. She
channels some kind of Beverly Hills madwoman-housewife, trying
to make the guests stay at the table while her husband goes
mad and draws a dagger at an empty chair. Redon Ramsey as Banquo
is understated in life and devastating in death, and Michael
Hovance (is that Adrien Brody I see before me?) makes Malcolm
a much more interesting part than we'd ever considered it to
be. His frustration at exile comes off as being stunned into
grief... Christopher Morrison's fight choreography gives the
final act a nice kick in the pants... Macbeth is the best bargain
performance in town... This production is being untimely ripp'd
from us on the 18th of December, so get it while you can"
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starring
Joseph Beck
Adam Burch
Julie Ann Hassett
Michael Hovance*
Rendon Ramsey
John Rocha
Summer Sinclair*
Barbara Suiter
Robert Tobin
Craig Wadlin
*members
of
Actor's Equity
Association
Set
Design
Bo Crowell
Costume Design
Dawn Worrall
Stage Manager
Lea Tobin
Fight Choreography
Christopher Morrison
Board Op
Juliana Johnson
Voice/Text Coach
Caroline Ducrocq
Photos
Lea Tobin
Craig Wadlin
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Director's
Note
Whenever
an actor panics because someone has said "Macbeth" inside
the theater, I reassure them by saying they can break the curse
by reciting a line from A Midsummer Night's Dream -- and also maybe
by spinning around three times while they say it or performing some
such ridiculous task. It makes them feel better, and there's something
appealing in the idea that Shakespeare's dark play of magic can
be balanced by his light magical comedy. Macbeth is as filled with
magic as any of his plays -- some scholars argue, convincingly,
that Macbeth himself becomes a witch by the end of the story. And
where the magic in Midsummer is mischievous and delightful, the
magic in Macbeth is dangerous and horrible.
But a better opposite for Macbeth, or for Macbeth the character,
might be the Prince of Denmark. Because it's not just about the
magic, or even about the darkness. Macbeth is a man who takes action,
and Hamlet, famously, does not. Of course, a case could be made
that Hamlet is constantly pursuing his goal and that his apparent
lack of will grows from the complexity of his plight. But when it
comes down to it, we watch Hamlet hesitate and we watch Macbeth
do. Both Hamlet and Macbeth are faced with difficult choices, and
their reactions are very telling. Hamlet desperately wants to act
but finds he must wait until the time is ripe. Macbeth wishes he
could stop, but his fears drive him to go further and further down
the road that he well knows leads to power and ruin. Where we admire
Hamlet for his keen intellect, sensitivity, and creativity, we are
drawn to Macbeth for the way he confronts his fears by becoming
fearful himself.
We are all of us, on some level, drawn to power. And maybe there's
another kind of magic in that. We know that power corrupts; we know
that it's wrong to lie, cheat and steal. And most of the time, we
don't do it -- we let our desire to be a good person win out over
our darker desire to take the thing we want and consequences be
damned. But when a character in a story makes the other choice,
the choice we contemplate and fantasize about but usually don't
make, it's fascinating. And the further that character goes, the
more fascinating it becomes -- we want to see them punished, but
there's a part of us that thrills to see them wield their newfound
strength.
Magic is a funny thing. There's the magic of a superstition, a curse
on the name of 400-year-old play; it comes true only if you believe
it will come true, because you'll make it happen. And there's the
magic of woodland fairies or of mysterious witches. But there's
also theatrical magic, the magic of a group of actors and an audience,
using their imaginations together to create another world and a
story to fill it up. That moment in which language and gesture and
image all come together in a shared act of creation. This is magic
for here and now, for everyone. And it's what brought us all together
tonight. Enjoy.
-Josh Costello
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