From Nov. 9th to the 11th, Macbeth conquered the stage in the Karen Hille Phillips Center for Performing Arts (KHP). This production, directed by Jeff Clapp, brought the horrors of death to life.
The three sister witches, played by Peyton “Ten” Noreen, Kay Fitton, and Iyana Simone Scott, creeped and crawled across the stage in their wickedly spine-chilling portrayals. The fun they had, tempting and cursing the titular character, was felt through their rhythmic movements and cackling laughter.
Playing the conqueror Macbeth, Bil Nowicki embodied the character’s descent into guilt and madness, using his delivery to guide the audience into feeling the effects of the battles waged against his haunting phantasms. The audience witnessed Macbeths’ paranoia steadily build and control his actions.
The monolithic structure of the set imitated the arching hallways of a medieval castle, enabling the actors to loom from the platform above the archway and cling to the spiral staircase on the opposite side of the stage. The multiple levels making up the stage created entrancing visual dynamics; various angles of the set emphasized the lighting effects used to intensify the scenes during the play.
Moments of comedy amidst the gore and terror of a classic Macbeth show kept the audience engaged. Zack Davenport’s Porter utilized phallic arm gestures and performative drunken stupor to show that even a widely-known play like Macbeth doesn’t have to be performed with grandiose mannerisms. “We really couldn’t have done it without Sean…It was a wonderful romp.” Clapp said. For those involved, it was a performance to be remembered.
