The MSU Department of Theatre's "Macbeth" demands the audience consider a fresh perspective to the play's usual rendition.
Opening in pitch black to the sound of spooky music, the audience is greeted by four witches - not three - crawling about the stage. Instead of the stereotypical old farts you normally see playing witches, these four are young and have a nice amount of sex appeal.
"Macbeth," the last of Shakespeare's four great tragedies, is the story of Macbeth's attempt to take over the king's throne through a bloody murder.
The cast is led by theater sophomore Nathaniel Nose, playing the role of Macbeth. Nose gives a believable performance.
After the murder of King Duncan, Nose's ability to show Macbeth's remorse and contempt through his facial expressions won the audience.
Lady Macbeth, portrayed by graduate student Kathryn Cleveland proves the theory that behind every good man is a good woman - well, bad in this case.
While Macbeth is ambitious enough to consider killing to seize the king's throne, Lady MacBeth's sexual tactics to persuade him are splendid. During the first scene, while Macbeth and Lady Macbeth are alone, Lady MacBeth manages to seduce Macbeth without coming off as phony. Aside from forcing Macbeth to the floor and straddling his manhood, the tone of her voice signals to the audience the ability to transform into another person within her original character.
The four witches are the highlight of the show, as they scramble about the stage, letting out shrieking cackles that send chills up and down your spine.
Interior design senior Danielle Brown said the set, which has images of graffiti in the backdrop and a hanging transparent maroon triangle, forces the audience members to interpret it their own way.
"Some of the illusions the set was trying to make were a bit hard to discern," she said. "But letting the audience make that decision for themselves was kind of cool."
Brown said the costumes of Macbeth and Lady Macbeth, which wore matching red and black attire, were the best.
"They definitely conveyed more of a modern feeling," she said. "The red costumes definitely got across the fact that they were marked with the blood spot."
If you hated reading Shakespeare's "Macbeth" during high school because it was so out-of-date and didn't relate to you, this contemporary performance of "Macbeth" is one not to be missed. The male costumes ranged from military uniforms to black leather jackets and bandanas. The dresses, however, had a '40s feel to them, while still managing to convey the original period.
"Macbeth" will show Thursday in the Wharton Center's Pasant Theatre at 7:30 p.m. and will run though Sunday. There will be a 2 p.m. show on Sunday.
