You may have seen Macbeth before. And with the popularity that this play sees between directors and producers, you may have even seen it again and again and again. But no matter how many times you’ve seen this Shakespearean classic, we guarantee you that you’ve never seen it quite like this before. At least not when it’s the show being put on by Alan Cumming at the Barrymore Theater right now.
It’s not exactly a one-man play, as there are a few extras dispersed throughout to help fill out the story, such as when Macbeth is checked into the hospital and two orderlies take his street clothes. The biggest parts of the play though, are all acted out by Cumming, who many audience-goers may recognize as Eli Gold from the television series, The Good Wife.
Much of the dialogue has been left in the original script it was written in, such as the opening lines Macbeth speaks, “When shall we three meet again?”
However it just as often switches to more modern, casual banter, such as replying with “‘Twas a rough night,” after Macduff tells of the night that King Duncan was murdered, using words such as hearing “strange screams of death,” and “the lamentings heard i’ the air.”
Macbeth has been done a hundred different ways before, but you’ve never seen it been done quite like this. It’s currently playing at the Ethel Barrymore Theater, but only until June 30, so make sure you get your tickets today!
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