Witchcraft, war, betrayal and murder are not the typical elements of a enjoyable evening. The Orlando Shakespeare Theater, however, with its production of Macbeth, puts audiences in the middle of a dark world where witches and ghosts are real and battles happen all around. For sure, it’s an evening that’s anything but typical.

Margeson theater, which is set up “in the round” for the first time, sets the tone for this famous Shakespearian tragedy. Bloodied spikes hang on the walls and the pentacle-embossed stage acts as the center of all evil for the events that are about to take place.

As the play begins, the three witches crawl up and out of the center of the stage in white dresses and white-body makeup - a look I’ve surely seen before in my childhood nightmares of the Haunted Mansion. As they tell MacBeth and his fellow soldier, Banquo, their visions of the future, their words echo through the theater.

The details of the scene, as they would throughout the entire play, are what make Macbeth so bloody good.

The costumes, lighting, sound and visuals are so well integrated that I’d have to believe there’s just as much going on backstage as their is onstage in order to bring this production together. For sure, the acting is brilliant by many in the cast, but they are literally given the spotlight at the exact moment when it’s needed. Dream sequences, ghostly appearances and slow-motion battles are portrayed like nothing I’ve seen in local theater before.

As for the actors, Ian Bedford as Macbeth confidently displays the necessary range of emotions and reactions to lead the cast through a story of betrayal and murder. The scene with actor Paul Bernado, as the ghost of Banquo, was particulary memorable as it takes Macbeth from the joys of celebrating his kingdom to to depths of horror as he sees his now bloody enemy before him.

Actress Jean Tafler, as Lady Macbeth, also gives an excellent performace. Since Lady Macbeth’s initial manipulations cause much of the pain that is felt throughout the play, Hering opens strong and confident, but ends with a emotional final scene that evokes the true fall of her character.

Another great performance was that of Timothy Williams as Ross. Though he doesn’t play one of the main characters in the play, his strong, confident tone and control of scenes was undeniable. I felt as if I were watching an actual soldier amongst a group of great actors in his time on stage.

Overall, I highly recommend Orlando Shakespeare Theater’s presentation of Macbeth. It’s a near-perfect recreation of all the things we fear, done in a way that you’ll surely love.

For complete information, read our previous post, “Orlando Shakespeare Theater presents Macbeth”.

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