DD THEATRE REVIEW - "Macbeth A Dinner Party" at Zeitgeist Theater
“A celebration of one of The Bard’s most infamous plays with food, drinks, and, of course, witches.” -Robert Lee, Director
Zeitgeist Theater has long been known for its bold, cutting-edge theater. Their current production of the immersive “Macbeth A Dinner Party” gives, as they describe it, a “new take on a diner and a show.”
Closing the restaurant for the Sunday and Monday night performances, Zeitgeist moved its “stage” to the second floor of the restaurant. With the 40-member audience seated at tables lining the walls on three sides and with the acting space in the middle. The actors were often up close and personal, sometimes playing directly into audience members' faces and even sitting down at the tables at times.
Eliminating the fourth wall made Shakespeare’s timeless story even more immediate and devastating. A talented 18-member cast, several playing two or more roles, also waited tables and gave the audience an interesting historical background of the period and the play.
Along the way, the cast also shared some of the play’s fascinating, troubled history and the folklore of episodes of accidents, illnesses, and even deaths, starting with the first performance of Macbeth (circa 1606) when the young male actor playing Lady Macbeth took ill, (or according to some accounts died), and Shakespeare himself stepped into the role.
In a world where “Fair is Foul and Foul is Fair” and ghosts, witches, imaginary daggers and walking “trees” abound, the cast takes the audience along on the wild witnessing of the blackest of deeds, where “direst cruelty” shows the worst of human nature.
Standout supporting roles in the Zeitgeist production included Karen Wyse Niedermier as the hilarious drunken porter and Eric Elefson as the tragic Macduff. The trio of weird sisters, Christine Winkler-Johnson, Agatha Pokrzywinski, and Olivia Nelson, created the show’s dark tone from the beginning with their “double, double, toil and trouble” incantations.
Justin Peck was entirely convincing as the noble Banquo, both as Macbeth’s devoted friend and later as a ghostly apparition, the uninvited guest at the dinner party. Playing an early murder victim, the trusting and virtuous King Duncan, John Pokrzywinski was also commanding and believable, representing the social order that Macbeth decimates.
Kate Horvath had strong moments as the ruthless and plotting Lady Macbeth, clearly starting the path of death and destruction with her prodding and manipulation of her husband to follow his deepest and darkest ambitions.
Her final important “out damned spot” scene, however, lost some of its impact at times to blocking that had her at the far end of the playing space with her back to half the audience for part of the famous speech. (For a profile of Kate Horvath, go to destinationduluth.org
Taking on the daunting tasks of directing, menu planning, and playing the title role, Robert Lee has had a ten-year odyssey of his “passion project,” with the style and intent of his version of “Macbeth” finally coming to fruition with this production.
Early on, Lee's delivery was somewhat flat and lacking in some intensity and vocal variety. He grew stronger in the role, however, as the show went on and his character descended into an inexorable path of blood lust, ambition, and madness.
Because of the darker lighting of the “out of the box” venue, the audience could not clearly see some of the actors important facial expressions, so crucial for the actors’ “toolboxes” to convey character. And the audience also had to eat much of the meal in dim light, making dining an “adventure” when they could not read the menu of descriptions of their dishes.
Chef Stuart Gordon was in charge of the pre-show snack and four-course meal.
Several of the finger-food Americanized versions of Scottish dishes were delightful. Depending, however, on the palates of audience members, other selections were a bit hit and miss, as evidenced by what was left on trays.
The timing of Zeitgeist’s production was brilliant in the final days of election campaigns that are as dark and twisted as anything Shakespeare himself could have conceived. Imagine the fun, though, that the immortal Bard would have had with these modern-day villains and an outrageous “plot” that is beyond belief.
MACBETH: A DINNER PARTY
By William Shakespeare
Directed by Robert Lee
October 20-November 11
The run is sold out with nightly wait lists to fill seats of no-shows.
Up Next at Renegade
“Invisible Fences”
November 7-23
Written by Gaelynn Lea and Kevin Kling
Directed by Timothy White
For tickets, go to zeitgeist arts.com
Singer-songwriter Gaelynn Lea and storyteller-playwright Kevin Kling combine their talents in an original musical fable, which weaves together storytelling and song to create a unique theatrical experience.
This production blends their internationally renowned skills in music and storytelling to create an intimate show that is rich in the wit and wisdom inherent in Disability Culture.
Every performance will have ASL interpretation as well as projected captioning. There will also be narrated audio descriptions at the beginning of each scene to help blind and low-vision audience members better place themselves in the worlds the cast is creating.
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About Sheryl Jensen - Arts & Entertainment Editor
A retired educator with the Duluth Public Schools, Sheryl Jensen has been a theater director of over 60 school and community productions. Her production of William Shakespeare’s Taming of the Shrew at East High School won the National High School Theater award from the BRAVO television network.
Having written theater, music, dance, and opera reviews for the Duluth News Tribune for many years, she now is the Arts & Entertainment Editor for Destination Duluth.