“By the pricking of my thumbs, something wicked this way comes”
“Now is the Winter of our discontent”…. No wait, nevermind. That’s a different Shakespeare show, and a different season entirely. But Summer is here in Maryland and when it comes to the Macbeths, “discontent” is an apropos word to define their predicament, but the exact opposite to describe how you will feel as you enjoy this timeless production of the Scottish Play; otherwise known as Macbeth.
Returning for their 19th season of Shakespeare-In-The-Ruins at the historic Patapsco Female Institute (a horrible sounding name, but rest assured this was a school for young girls and women, not a prison!), the Chesapeake Shakespeare Company welcomes a new Ensemble to their performance lineup and presents the mainstage debut performance of the Company’s Black Classical Acting Ensemble (BCAE)!
Established in 2021, the BCAE serves as an incubator and platform for Black artists to “discover and cultivate their genuine voices in the realm of classical drama.” Created as a way to provide an affinity space for Black actors to come together in free classes and workshops targeted for those interested in Western-classical theater, this part of the CSC has grown over the past two years as a home for Black actors within the Company and to further diversify CSC’s casting by training talented Black actors who may not have previously had the necessary “classical” training needed to flourish in many traditional Shakespeare roles.
Directed by Lauren Davis, this production is an excellent, if mostly straightforward, classical rendition of the Scottish Play with very limited variations to its traditional executions. The costume and set design, by Kristina Lambdin and Dan O’Brien respectively, pair well hand in hand to create a simple yet somber visual atmosphere for the characters on stage. Lined with menacing spiked beams, the physical overlay of the stage is set in stark contrasting colors of black and white, while the costumes are predominantly composed of muted and darker shades of gray further complimenting the serious and solemn actions unfolding before you.
The physical setting of the PFI Historic Park is magic in and of itself. Set in the ruins of the 19th century Patapsco Female Institute, the grounds reside on a hill overlooking the historic part of Ellicott City. Surrounded by trees, flowers, and the tranquility of the ruins, the space offers amazing acoustics. When you arrive, you can feel confident that every seat in the audience is a good seat! Although be warned: those sitting in the very front row do run the risk of being in a minor blood-related splash-zone. You have been warned.
Lighting, also by O’Brien, is also well designed with the wonderful use of shadow and highlight throughout. Although, for those viewing the production in the evenings, it is the natural lighting provided by the setting sun that seems to pair too perfectly with the diminishing tranquility of Macbeth’s composure. The real-life sun sets on the ruins before the audience in seemingly perfect timing with the progression of the story unfolding onstage, balancing the falling of darkness in-time with the creeping dark sensations of ruthless obsessions and paranoia experienced by Macbeth and Lady Macbeth.
As the action of the show begins, the audience is in for a treat with the three Weird Sisters. These three Witches, played by Keri Anderson, Jordan Stanford, and Mecca Verdell, are so perfectly in sync with each other as they delight, and fright, their way across the stage. Playing as both a source of comedy and strange eeriness, the Witches will definitely have you repeating “Double, double toil and trouble” the next time you boil water. Further serving as a source of comic relief, Verdell’s scene as she plays the Porter is a highlight of the evening as she breaks the rather serious tension of murder-in-the-air with her comic rendition of reluctantly answering a “knock, knock” at the castle’s doors.
Serving in a gender-blind cast, multiple women perform as male characters in the production often playing several characters throughout. Such an example is Jasmine Proctor as Ross who serves as friendly messenger to the king and concerned cousin to Lady Macduff. Though not the most prominent of characters in this story, Proctor’s performance stands out as both energetic and relaxed as she exudes a natural taking to the iambic pentameter and seemingly breathes a refined genuineness to her character that causes her to shine throughout.
Similarly, Lauren Jackson effortlessly steps into the role of Banquo with a sense of embodied steadiness and grace one would expect of a worthy commander of soldiers and father to a future line of kings. While she also plays Lady Macduff and is able to balance well the conflicting emotions of abandoned wife and loving mother, Jackson really excels as Banquo and fully takes ownership of the space around her as soldier and thane.
Unafraid of showing vulnerability and the struggles of growing up on unsteady ground, Shaquan Pearson delights as Malcolm; the succeeding son to King Duncan (played wonderfully by Gregory Burgess) forced to flee and secure an army to reclaim his right to the Scottish throne. Pearson is able to tread the ground of a boy thrust into manhood by the murder of his father yet speaks with a naivety and resonance of innocence that is coupled with the determination of vengeance and glory.
Leading the charge in the second half of the show with Malcolm is Macduff, played by Lloyd Ekpe. Ekpe is a force of nature in and of himself. Able to magnificently command the very air on stage, Ekpe beautifully masters a full range of characterizations from even-keeled mentor, to heart-broken widower and father, to vengeful Scottish lord. Able to punch and sooth with his words within moments of each other, Ekpe is a quiet force on stage who shines bright even as he smolders.
But this show is nothing without its titular character and his partner in regicide played by DeJeanette Horne and Dawn Thomas Reidy as the Macbeths. Each showing strength and an unraveling descent into madness, both together and separately, Horne and Reidy are truly an ambitious power couple you would not want to be on the receiving end of! While both perform as toxic-ambition personified, their connection to each other as partners is always felt throughout, and when Horne’s character learns of the loss of his queen, there is a powerful pain felt throughout the remainder of his performance that makes you wonder whether Macbeth’s subsequent craze from this point onwards was one of believing he was undefeatable because of the prophecy that seemingly spelled the impossibility of his defeat, or one where he purposefully wanted to challenge the boundaries of his prophecy so he would no longer be separated from his wife.
In all honesty, I have nothing but glowing praise for this production. The acting is fabulous, the lighting and sound on pointe, set and costume immaculate, and the setting of the performance space beyond reproach. My only true critique was the use of certain songs in the pre-show intro and end-of-intermission segway. I understand the choices to use songs like the Rolling Stones’ “Paint It Black” or Gus Khan’s “Dream a Little Dream of Me.” These songs embodied tonal themes that paired fine with the overarching themes within Macbeth’s story, but they just never seemed to click with the performers as they sang. It wasn’t until their choral rendition of “Judgement Day is A Rolling Around” that everything seemed to come together for the singing ensemble in terms of tempo, harmony, and general “heart” of the music. The other 20th century “pop” songs are ok in their performances, but the ensemble just doesn’t seem to resonate together as much in their rendition of these songs as much as they do with the only Spiritual hymn on the docket. Although, the kazoo solo in “Sweet Dreams” is quite funny, it just seemed to heighten the lapse in the ensemble not connecting with the song and therefore needing to provide humor in this divide to lighten the awkwardness. But nevertheless, these songs are technically outside of the performance of the play itself, and the play’s performance is where it’s at!
As an additional bonus to this production’s run, Sundays are Family Fun Days. While I did not attend on a Sunday this year, I did have the good fortune of attending on a FFD last year and considered it quite a treat! Starting at 4:30 each Sunday, there are a series of games and crafts available to entertain young guests, and a puppet show that provides a wonderful pre-show introduction (and simpler explanation) of the story of Macbeth. While targeted at younger audiences, in reality, who doesn’t enjoy a good puppet show? And with the density of Shakespeare’s language, go ahead and embrace the delight of these simple fabric entities breaking down the story for you!
Whether you have never seen Macbeth before, or you have seen a dozen plus productions, I encourage you not to miss this debut production of the Chesapeake Shakespeare Company’s Black Classical Acting Ensemble!
Running time: Approximately 2 and a half hours with one intermission
Macbeth plays through Sunday July 23rd, 2023 with Chesapeake Shakespeare Company at the PFI Historic Park— Ellicott City MD. Tickets can be purchased online or by phone at 410.244.8570
