“I give it three out of five stars only because Lady Macbeth grabbed my hand during a soliloquy. I knew she loved me. I knew it from the moment she stared deep into my eyes and said, “Unsex me here, and fill me from the crown to the toe topful of direst cruelty!”” Garrett Mostowski ★★★★★

“Suggestions?  Don’t sit in the back because you won’t be able to see anything.  Be prepared to turn around a lot, as parts of the play are performed at the back of the stage.  And, watch out for splattering blood and flung flowers that might fly your way.” Sarah Groneck ★★★★★

Macbeth ★★★★★

Review by Garrett Mostowski

Let me with a joke. “What do Hitler and Shakespeare have in common?” Want to know the punch line? Wayward theatre’s rendition of Macbeth.

If you are laughing at that joke then go see Macbeth at the O’Reilly theatre. If you aren’t laughing, then you still may want to see the play to enjoy a good laugh or two. I wouldn’t waste the time though.

The Director’s statement says, “…as a political thriller, hoping to tap into the fears our own media stir up of obsessive state surveillance, the infringement of privacy and civil liberties, and corruption at the highest levels of power.” That sounds like a good idea for a play. However, it seems that the director got lazy and did not desire to write her own script. So, she sort of made the script of Macbeth work for her autonomous idea. Well, she tried to make it work.

The stage was set simply. Along the walls hung banners resembling the Nazi banners used by Hitler during World War II. On the front wall, a giant projection revealed the audience being surveyed by a hidden camera. Spooky? No, because the audience did what everyone does in front of a camera. Act silly. Also at the front of the stage, there was a podium with the same Nazi-like symbol pasted to its front. I can’t really say how all of that tied in because, well, it didn’t.

The acting was phenomenal, especially from the supporting cast. Charlotte Ellis (The Porter) played her role fantastically as did Jonnie McAloon (Ross). In fact, those two should have had the lead roles. While I specified those two, I don’t want to take away from the entire cast who did a wonderful job. Although, I will say that Macbeth and Lady Macbeth seemed to have changed roles. Intentional? Probably. Fitting? Absolutely not. Distracting? Of course.

The entire play is distracting. The characters are wearing suits while fighting with swords and riding on horses. The whole Nazi theme never makes any sense and the whole time you are wondering, “The Fourth Reich?” Oh, by the way, did I mention that the witches were real? I didn’t figure that out until the end. Apparently, it had something to do with, “…the fears our own media stir up of obsessive state surveillance, the infringement of privacy and civil liberties, and corruption at the highest levels of power.” In America, we call this ‘bologna.’ It is child’s talk for rubbish.

Excellent work actors. Terrible idea Director. I give it three out of five stars only because Lady Macbeth grabbed my hand during a soliloquy. I knew she loved me. I knew it from the moment she stared deep into my eyes and said, “Unsex me here, and fill me from the crown to the toe topful of direst cruelty!” So, because of Lady Macbeth’s boldness, I give it three out of five. But I suggest you go view Equus, or as I like to call it, “The Daniel Radcliffe horse experience.”

Macbeth ★★★★★

Review by Sarah Groneck

The tragic tale of “Macbeth” takes on a political twist at the hands of the Wayward Theatre Company at Keble O’Reilly.  That twist doesn’t involve many textual changes:  Macbeth and Lady Macbeth are still on a power trip, Duncan still dies, and Macduff still triumphs in the end.  But director Ellen Davnall seeks to create a backdrop of political espionage that will “tap into the fears our own media stir up.”

And it does that—almost.

At the play’s start, she includes a screen projection of the audience, seemingly asserting that we are always watched.  The dark blue curtains bear triangular insignias, and the podium bears Macbeth’s line “The Labor We Delight in Physics Pain.” The first scene is powerfully innovative, with the sergeant torturing and taking the eye of a weird sister.  And, for the most part, that is it for political innovation until the end of Act 2.

Davnall doesn’t capitalize on “Macbeth” as a political thriller as well as she could.  There is no explanation behind the insignia, and any audience member sitting in the back row with have a tough time seeing that Macbeth’s arm band is different from the red-infused one that Malcolm dons in the second act.

Davnall applies a little more political thought in Act II when she turns Hecate (Adam Taylor) into the leader of the weird sisters’ grassroots political movement to overthrow Macbeth.  But the red motif at the end left me wondering if Macduff, Malcolm, and Hecate were meant to represent the onslaught of communism; maybe it was not the director’s best choice of color.

One character who stands out from all the rest is Ross, played by Jonnie McAloon.  Having been in over five Shakespeare productions, McAloon clearly knows his stuff: he speaks the Shakespearean language with such ease that the viewer knows exactly what he is talking about.

Rafaella Marcus seemed too cute to play Lady Macbeth, a woman who calls a curse upon herself.  Marcus’s invocation scene gave me chills, and the final scene where she slaps herself in her sleep was well-played.  However, I sympathized with Marcus’s portrayal of Lady Macbeth, and I don’t think that is what Shakespeare would have wanted the audience to care for the overly-ambitious, almost un-human creature.

Macbeth (Rory Fazan), whom Shakespeare depicted as “too full o’ the milk of human kindness,” becomes more assertive in the Wayside Theatre production.  I had trouble believing Fazan’s performance as Macbeth, since he moved so quickly from sarcastic disbelief of the witches to a fervent obsession of becoming king.  He sarcastically regaled Macbeth’s final speech, a change that I did not expect and do not necessarily favor.

Suggestions?  Don’t sit in the back because you won’t be able to see anything.  Be prepared to turn around a lot, as parts of the play are performed at the back of the stage.  And, watch out for splattering blood and flung flowers that might fly your way.

Kudos to Davnall for being brave enough to try a new take on a classic play; but, she could have done so much more.