Director David Edgecombe has set his production of "Macbeth" in an amorphous present or near present. The soldiers wear World War II-style helmets and khaki. The nobles wear formal attire suggesting the last half of the last century. Letters and messages come via tablets and cellphones, and the witches, in hoodies and sunglasses, consult laptops for their spells and auguries.
The words, however, are all Shakespeare's, pretty much as he wrote them. Even though the plot is among the most familiar in literature, I would have liked better enunciation from some of the cast. The May 7 performance at Cyrano's occasionally steered toward haste, perhaps to emphasize natural emotion, perhaps from concerns that the contemporary audience doesn't want the play to go on any longer than it does.
But the words are gold and one relishes them when delivered with clear diction, even if it means sitting in the seat for five minutes longer. This production runs right at 2 1/2 hours and seemed shorter. The thing is that "Macbeth" is such brilliant theater that one could follow the action even if the actors were speaking Chinese. And the surreal modernism of Edgecombe's approach is visually fascinating.
The imagined dagger and Banquo's ghost appear on video; the demonic prophecies in Macbeth's second meeting with the witches are accompanied by footage of recent horrors, discredited 20th century dictators shown as "kings" are mentioned.
The least convincing staging came in the battle scenes as the dialogue was delivered by warriors actively engaged in an advance, with bolt-action rifles in firing positions -- the sort of situation in which conversation tends not to occur. And, purists beware, there are guns and gunfire in this "Macbeth." In the final duel, however, the knives come out then get dropped and the combatants fall into a wonderful bare-fisted brawl.
Mark Robokoff faithfully delivered the title character's transition from uncertain hero to adamant tyrant. Elizabeth Ware, as Lady Macbeth, successfully achieved the opposite, going from steel-willed opportunist to an invalid crippled by guilt. Paul Schweigert played Banquo with an American officer's Southern accent and MacDuff as a dry pragmatist -- except when he broke down on hearing of the death of his family. Jerry Dale McDonnel, in the role of Seward, received similar news with cool equanimity. He also had the parts of Duncan and the Porter, doing a better job with the latter.
Eight players handled more than 20 roles. Jaron Michael Carlson played both Malcolm and Fleance, without much differentiation, convincing in his decision to flee Scotland after his father's murder, less so in his recitation of his flaws. Tamar Shai and Sarah Bethany Baird athletically leaped between a combined nine roles, including witches, courtiers, murderers and assorted family members of other characters. Whenever they exited, however, their character put a finger to their lips and interpolated a "Shh," suggesting that, whatever character they had just presented, they were in essence still the witches in disguise.
Even Ware had additional roles, as a witch and a messenger. The only actor besides Robokoff who had a constant part was Jamie Nelson as a rock-steady Ross.
The music, sometimes covering up the words, consisted of a kind of techno-rock track by Cliff and Ivy, billed as "Alaska's only goth band." Margret Hugi-Lewis' set consisted of industrial pipes painted on cloths, presumably to make travel easier.
MACBETH will be presented at 7 p.m. Thursday-Saturday and 3 p.m. Sunday through May 17 at Cyrano's, 413 D St. Tickets are available at centertix.net. Following the Anchorage run it will be presented in Homer, Yakutat and Valdez.