Radio Macbeth SITI Company at Court Theatre
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There’s so much, big and little, that’s questionable about this touring production, created and performed by Anne Bogart’s SITI Company, codirected by Bogart and Darron L. West, and hosted here by Court Theatre. If, for instance, the troupe is rehearsing a radio play—and sometimes they seem to be only at the table-reading phase—then what do they need with a fully equipped theater? Or even with the microphones that are set up here and there around the stage? But the real question is, how does it serve Macbeth to cut it down to 90 minutes and surround it with an elaborate set of conceits apparently designed to transform it into a vehicle for a romantic triangle involving some World War II-era actors?
Take that romantic triangle. Looking like a tubercular John Barrymore, Will Bond plays an actor who’s clearly sped up the passing of his prime with loads of alcohol and cigarettes. He’s engaged in some kind of domestic relationship with the fur-coated diva played by Ellen Lauren—you can tell by the way they’re screaming at each other as they enter. It becomes evident through body language, however, that she’s either having or desperately wants to have an affair with Stephen Webber’s Wellesian lead actor. And he makes eyes back at her every chance he gets, too. None of this provides any insight into Shakespeare’s play, but it’s invaluable all the same. Webber and Lauren’s passionate characters bring a tremendous shot of erotic energy and rage to their roles as that regicidal pair, Macbeth and Lady Macbeth. Bond’s cuckold, meanwhile, generates neat resonances, first as King Duncan, whom Macbeth kills, and then as Macduff, who kills Macbeth.
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