MACBETH 2022 Previews- Page 5

[MadsonMelo]

Posted: 4/15/22 at 1:09pm

Ruth Negga seems the Ruth Wilson (King Lear) of this Production, good for her because I love her. Maybe she will also be the only Tony nom for the show

[JBroadway]

Posted: 4/16/22 at 3:39pm

Tina Benko is on in an ensemble track. According to Sam Gold’s pre-show speech, she was asked to join the show YESTERDAY, and was flown in from Texas last minute. Script in hand, but she’s doing great.
 

There’s some track-splitting going on too. Danny Wollohan’s Porter was fantastic. I could hardly believe that wasn’t his regular role.

[Dollypop]

Posted: 4/16/22 at 5:19pm

This Is reminding me of Mary Tyler Moore's BREAKFAST AT TIFFANY'S when the audience talked back to the actors.

[JBroadway]

Posted: 4/16/22 at 7:21pm

Well, I’ll be the dissenter on this, I guess, though I definitely understand why people hate it.

I’ve made my peace with the fact that Sam Gold’s style of directing Shakespeare is not one attempts to incorporate cohesive concepts or thorough, investigative text work, and instead just goes moment-to-moment, trying to execute each beat in a playful, imaginative way. It’s not particularly SMART, but I find it very watchable. I often found myself thinking “that’s cool! I wonder what he’ll do next!” I also think this approach worked better for Macbeth than it did for Hamlet or Lear, because with Macbeth, you can skate by on vibes, moods, impactful imagery, and the clean structure Shakespeare provides. Whereas Lear and Hamlet call for somewhat more intellectual, hands-on approaches. I found this one more visceral and evocative, and I even enjoyed the humor.
 

One of the many negative side-effects though, is that he basically abandons the actors to figure things out on their own. The strongest actors make due, but many are lost at sea, with no clear understanding of the next, and no real sense of the characters they’re playing. To me, the highlights were Grantham Coleman, Maria Dizzia, and Danny Wolohan (as the understudy for the Porter/Duncan).

I also thought both leads gave strong performances - yes even Craig. I don’t know if Craig has improved in previews, or if I’m just in a different camp from everyone else, but I thought he was quite good. Not the best Macbeth I’ve seen, but he had clear understanding of the text, and interpretation of the character - a Macbeth that was very up in his head, almost childlike in both his insecurity and his anger.

Anyway, I’m obviously not particularly enthusiastic, but overall I did enjoy it for what it was. Certainly more than most people here did, and I don’t blame you all. It’s a production that I’m perfectly happy to admit to liking, but not one I would recommend to people unless they really knew what they were in for. 

[Auggie27]

Posted: 4/22/22 at 7:26am

I was there last night. For the first 80 minutes. And then I joined many others, scratching their heads (and muttering) fleeing into Times Square. We stood on 52nd Street, interrupting one another to point out what so offended our sensibilities. Simply excruciating, first moments on. Everyone in body mics, yet sloppy diction, a melange of acting styles -- including none -- and worst sin of all, a feeling of indifference to the audience. The performance begins as if these players don't want to be bothered. As someone said, as if they'd rather be anywhere but stuck in the Longacre with this story to tell. And then, in most duet scenes, two actors -- including the mostly unsuccessful leads -- meander downstage, pacing, floundering, no evidence of blocking. I was ready to leave during the Porter scene, which I won't spoil, but suffice it to say, beer and Covid jokes. It's all played as a FU to to the text and Broadway audience. 

[Bwaygurl2]

Posted: 4/22/22 at 7:43am

JBroadway said: "Tina Benko is on in an ensemble track. According to Sam Gold’s pre-show speech, she was asked to join the show YESTERDAY, and was flown in from Texas last minute. Script in hand, but she’s doing great.


There’s some track-splitting going on too. Danny Wollohan’s Porter was fantastic. I could hardly believe that wasn’t his regular role."

I read this as "Julie Benko" at first and thought "how is she doing this and Funny Girl at the same time?" 

[sinister teashop]

Posted: 4/22/22 at 11:05am

Borstalboy said: "Nicol Williamson

Philip Anglim

F. Murray Abraham

Kelsey Grammar

Ethan Hawke

Well, Daniel. Welcome to the club of actors who have crashed and burned playing this role on Broadway."

 

I've personally never seen a satisfying stage production of the play. It seems to work better as a film. 

 

[JBroadway]

Posted: 4/22/22 at 11:42am

sinister teashop said: “I've personally never seen a satisfying stage production of the play. It seems to work better as a film.”

 

I agree that Macbeth is arguably one of Shakespeare’s most cinematic plays, and generally lends itself pretty well to film. But it definitely can work beautifully onstage - I’ve seen it done professionally I think 6-ish times, and at least 3 of them were very good (I’m not counting this one in those 3, in case anyone is wondering based on my other post above).

And on the flip side, you have things like the recent Fassbender/Cotillard film which was utter garbage. Visually stunning, but made an absolute dog’s breakfast out of Shakespeare’s text. That, to me, was the worst rendition of Macbeth I’ve ever seen by a wide margin. 

 

[Dollypop]

Posted: 4/22/22 at 11:59am

JBroadway said: "sinister teashop said: “I've personally never seen a satisfying stage production of the play. It seems to work better as a film.”



I agree that Macbeth is arguably one of Shakespeare’s most cinematic plays, and generally lends itself pretty well to film. But it definitely can work beautifully onstage - I’ve seen it done professionally I think 6-ish times, and at least 3 of them were very good (I’m not counting this one in those 3, in case anyone is wondering based on my other post above).

And on the flip side, you have things like the recent Fassbender/Cotillard film which was utter garbage. Visually stunning, but made an absolute dog’s breakfast out of Shakespeare’s text. That, to me, was the worst rendition of Macbeth I’ve ever seen by a wide margin.

 

 

I guess you missed the production at the Stratford CT Shakespeare Festival 

The set was a huge sheet of lycra covering the stage. The stage crew crawled underneath it to stand and reach to signify different locations. The poor chap playing the title role  tripped over one of them and fell flat on his face while the audience laughed hysterically.

(Birnam Wood was created by lycra stretched over triangular frames)

 

[n2nbaby]

Posted: 4/22/22 at 12:41pm

Finally decided to go ahead and return my ticket to this this morning. Sounds like a disaster.

[Dollypop]

Posted: 4/22/22 at 12:53pm

Of course it's "to each his own" but sometimes a disaster is great fun. I will never regret sitting through THOU SHALT NOT, KELLY, BREAKFAST AT TIFFANY'S, IN MY LIFE, or MOLLY.  They were all dreadful but have given me a trove of memories!

Updated On: 4/22/22 at 12:53 PM

[RippedMan]

Posted: 4/22/22 at 1:15pm

This doesn't sound like "fun" bad, though. No set, modern dress, Shakespeare... pass. Sounds like a bore.

[Sutton Ross]

Posted: 4/22/22 at 2:02pm

Hot merch tho

https://broadwayworldshop.com/collections/macbeth-1

[Dollypop]

Posted: 4/22/22 at 2:33pm

Sutton Ross said: "Hot merch tho

https://broadwayworldshop.com/collections/macbeth-1"

 

Sorry, I don't go to the theater for "merch". I want to enjoy a good performance.

The fact that they're popularizing " 'Twas a rough night" on their merch is ironic because it seems that the audience leaves this production thinking those very words.

 

[Auggie27]

Posted: 4/22/22 at 2:37pm

I glanced back through the posts from those who've attended, and several seem to admire Craig and Negga. The only actor who made an impression on me was Amber Grey, her Banquo thoughtfully considered and played with a consistency and respect for the text. The admiration for Negga I understand only from a technical standpoint: she's a disciplined, proficient actor with technique. But I see no characterization, no nuanced set of decisions that would shape this woman. Her entrance -- not helped by Gold -- is almost under the radar, and her famous first rumination ."The raven himself is hoarse...." was tossed off with a casual, marked flippancy, that undercuts any stakes. She's dreadfully costumed, at first in bland harem pants, later in a genuinely hideous lame dress that makes her look like a suburban matron with zero taste, and then an evening dress from the sixties. Gold doesn't help her at any stage of the process (the absence of movement specific blocking) but she seems in search of this woman, regardless of her articulate handling of the verse. When she's spooked by Banquo's ghost, she simply looks perturbed. It isn't remotely compelling, though I did hear and understand every word.

Craig reads as either painfully working class, imagine a cab driver suddenly thrust into power (which seems the conceit), or a cornered hot head. When he exits to pop a beer in the middle of one of the most famous soliloquies in Shakespeare, it doesn't read as character-specific business; it just feels contrived and cheap. A FU to an audience expecting -- and deserving -- a genuine interpretation. And doesn't help an actor who is charismatic but lacking the necessary aspirational drive in this tortured man. He explodes in shouting, losing his words (the mic is turned up). He's costumed to show off his physique, but in a silk sports shirt, looks eerily like he did in Betrayal. 

Neither actor has been helped by a director indifferent to their needs and the characters' attributes. 

Updated On: 4/22/22 at 02:37 PM

[Sutton Ross]

Posted: 4/22/22 at 2:48pm

Sorry, I don't go to the theater for "merch". I want to enjoy a good performance.

The fact that they're popularizing " 'Twas a rough night" on their merch is ironic because it seems that the audience leaves this production thinking those very words.

Cool story bro. I was simply commenting on how good their merch is compared to other current productions, has nothing to do with the show itself. 

 

[The Other One]

Posted: 4/22/22 at 4:21pm

Auggie27 said: "I glanced back through the posts from those who've attended, and several seem to admire Craig and Negga. The only actor who made an impression on me was Amber Grey, her Banquo thoughtfully considered and played with a consistency and respect for the text. The admiration for Negga I understand only from a technical standpoint: she's a disciplined, proficient actor with technique. But I see no characterization, no nuanced set of decisions that would shape this woman. Her entrance -- not helped by Gold -- is almost under the radar, and her famous first rumination ."The raven himself is hoarse...." was tossed off with a casual, marked flippancy, that undercuts any stakes. She's dreadfully costumed, at first in bland harem pants, later in a genuinely hideous lame dress that makes her look like a suburban matron with zero taste, and then an evening dress from the sixties. Gold doesn't help her at any stage of the process (the absence of movement specific blocking) but she seems in search of this woman, regardless of her articulate handling of the verse. When she's spooked by Banquo's ghost, she simply looks perturbed. It isn't remotely compelling, though I did hear and understand every word.

Craig reads as either painfully working class, imagine a cab driver suddenly thrust into power (which seems the conceit), or a cornered hot head. When he exits to pop a beer in the middle of one of the most famous soliloquies in Shakespeare, it doesn't read as character-specific business; it just feels contrived and cheap. A FU to an audience expecting -- and deserving -- a genuine interpretation. And doesn't help an actor who is charismatic but lacking the necessary aspirational drive in this tortured man. He explodes in shouting, losing his words (the mic is turned up).He's costumed to show off his physique, but in a silk sports shirt, looks eerily like he did in Betrayal.

Neither actor has been helped by a director indifferent to their needs and the characters' attributes."

I saw it before their Covid shutdown.  It was either their second or third preview.  The indifferent beginning and its brazenly ugly "design" were an instant turn-off, but the actors seemed to be fighting through the swamp in an effort to deliver characterizations and propel the play forward.  I remained for the second half which, though shorter, truly felt interminable.  Potentially dynamic moments were drawn out endlessly and any interest or shock in the notoriously grizzly action dissipated early. I do not remember Craig downing a beer; perhaps this is something Gold came up with during the preview period?  Alas, all that's Gold does not glitter. The very ending, with all in the hands of the blasé witches again, was a total catastrophe, as all the characters, dead or alive, sat upstage while a folky song that I suppose was meant to be ironic played over this final image.  Something like that.  It was so obviously not working that I hoped positive changes would be made during their week off, but if anything it sounds as though the entire endeavor has headed in the opposite direction.

I liked Amber Grey as well, but the night I saw it I didn't find any of the actors to be the problem.

Craig worked with Gold on Othello a few years back.  I guess he knew what he was getting in to.  

Updated On: 4/22/22 at 04:21 PM

[MasterThespian 2]

Posted: 4/22/22 at 4:33pm

Got my refund last week. Life is too short to sit through something like this. No regrets. Feels like there’s a serious “too cool to care” vibe running through this production. From wardrobe to scenery to the performances of the central characters. If Daniel Craig wasn’t attached to this, it would be playing to empty houses. What a waste. 

[RippedMan]

Posted: 4/22/22 at 4:36pm

I was just going to ask what Gold's track record was for actors returning to work with him. 

 

[ATerrifyingAndImposingFigure]

Posted: 4/22/22 at 5:03pm

It really is a shame hearing how negative the reactions are. Craig sounded like a great Macbeth on paper, and based on how the whole thing is a mess, I feel like he really could’ve pulled it off if he was in a better production. At least most people seem to like Negga.

[Dollypop]

Posted: 4/22/22 at 5:54pm

Sutton Ross said: "Sorry, I don't go to the theater for "merch". I want to enjoy a good performance.

The fact that they're popularizing " 'Twas a rough night" on their merch is ironic because it seems that the audience leaves this production thinking those very words.

Cool story bro. I was simply commenting on how good their merch is compared to other current productions, has nothing to do with the show itself.

"

But the bottom line is that the purpose of merch is really to advertise the show. That t-shirt might look fine on you but whatever is emblazoned across it is advertising that YOU'VE paid for.

That said, I have more than my share of HELLO, DOLLY! t-shirts, hoodies, coffee mugs--you name it.

[Tom-497]

Posted: 4/26/22 at 1:21am

I saw this evening's performance and, after having read so many negative comments, was surprised by how much I liked the first act. There were problems (including, as someone else noted, the worst witches ever), but mostly I thought it was well-paced and easy to understand from a storytelling point-of-view, with good, though not great, work from Craig and Negga.

However, the second act really fell apart -- the focus often shifts away from the two stars to a couple of the weakest members in the mediocre supporting cast. And, even when Craig and Negga do feature, they are less convincing -- with Negga seeming to me too overwrought and Craig offering a surprisingly ineffective reading of the  "Tomorrow and tomorrow and tomorrow" soliloquy.

Then, as someone else pointed out, the whole thing ends with a lame folk-type song, sung by one of the witches (if I recall) while the whole cast sits against the back wall snacking, etc.

So, for me, another very mixed evening of Shakespeare from Sam Gold.

Updated On: 4/26/22 at 01:21 AM

[Thomas Jefferson]

Posted: 4/26/22 at 8:56pm

JBroadway said: "sinister teashop said: “I've personally never seen a satisfying stage production of the play. It seems to work better as a film.”



I agree that Macbeth is arguably one of Shakespeare’s most cinematic plays, and generally lends itself pretty well to film. But it definitely can work beautifully onstage - I’ve seen it done professionally I think 6-ish times, and at least 3 of them were very good (I’m not counting this one in those 3, in case anyone is wondering based on my other post above).

And on the flip side, you have things like the recent Fassbender/Cotillard film which was utter garbage. Visually stunning, but made an absolute dog’s breakfast out of Shakespeare’s text. That, to me, was the worst rendition of Macbeth I’ve ever seen by a wide margin.

Out of curiosity, what did you think of Joel Coen's film with Denzel Washington?

 

[kurtal]

Posted: 4/26/22 at 11:35pm

It may have been the volume of tequila I consumed preparing to see this, but I hated this show far far less than I expected.  Sam Gold's King Lear was one of the worst things I've ever seen (several solid performances notwithstanding), so I was braced for another utter catastrophe.  So the perfectly mediocre Macbeth adaptation that I saw Monday night well surpassed my expectations.  Is it good?  No.  Was it a tragedy?  Well...yes, that's kind of the point.  But I'm not angry that I saw it.  

[Brodo Swaggins]

Posted: 4/27/22 at 12:30am

My primary takeaway from this, especially after having seen Gold's abysmal LEAR, is that he just f**king hates Shakespeare.  And maybe actors, too. 

Someone said earlier that his directorial style isn't about any meaningful treatment of the text, but on landing beats in whatever way feels fun or cool in the moment, and stringing them along. That rings true to my experience tonight. There's no cohesion between scenes, no clear character arcs at all - Craig especially seemed to play Macbeth as a different person each time he was on stage, sometimes upper crust, sometimes clownish & twee, sometimes an unintelligible boxer with a speech impediment. Many moments of fourth wall breaking seemed added to undercut our investment in the show itself. Negga did admirable work finding clarity in the text, but she was essentially alone, and clearly without directorial support.

I saw it on a comp ticket. Am absolutely livid on behalf of the people paying $200+ to see this. It felt like a high school production that a few movie stars had drunkenly wandered into, directed by someone who hated them.