On Nov. 23, the King’s Theatrical Society (KTS) presented Macbeth, their final show of the season. Directed by Julia Hancock-Song, the “dressed down” take on the traditional Shakespearean play was a thrilling and promising way to end the season.
Though not extraordinary or profound in its modern take on a legendary plot, what liberties were taken with the play was done exceptionally well. As originally told, bewitched by a prophecy made to him, Macbeth (David Woroner) and his accomplice Lady Macbeth (Adriana Loewen) descend in to a guilt-induced madness after ambitiously killing their king, allowing their newly acquired kingdom to fall in to a tyrannical hysteria.
In typical KTS style, the space of the pit was used advantageously with a strong reliance on the talents of the play’s actors and only a few props to set the stage. While the Shakespearean lines were mostly parted with ease and invoked with modern intonations, it was the performances of the main characters that made the play as successful as it was. David Woroner played Macbeth with a sincere show of conscience. His boyish appeal made him a realistic victim of his wife and his own fate as he pursed through his crime and his guilt. Adriana Loewen played Lady Macbeth with an even sincerer lack of conscience as her styled braids came undone from her wicked exertions. However, it was Jack Smith who without a doubt gave the most bone chilling performance as he played all three witches rather too convincingly.
The costumes in Macbeth at first came off as an understatement, perhaps even as a lack of investment in the production. The modern day clothing initially clashed with the anachronistic choice of weaponry, however, the leather jackets, black jeans and dress trousers soon came to accent the seductiveness of the Macbeths’ descent in to madness. From the commanding click of Lady Macbeth’s heels as she oversees the death of her sovereign, to the soft but punctuating dance of bare feet against the stage concrete as the innocent and the mad contemplate their cause, the imagery in footwear was especially thought provoking and meaningful.
If for nothing more, the fight choreography by Christopher Tully was invigorating enough. Done with the highest expectation of a university production, the pit was overcome with the intense clashing of swords and physical violence that ended the play on a note which emphasized the raw simplicity in space and costume that made it so enjoyable.
Macbeth will be playing in the pit at 8pm every night until Saturday, Nov. 26.
Correction: This article originally stated that the play was predominantly directed by Julia Hancock-Song with fight direction by Christopher Tully. In fact, it was entirely directed by Hancock-Song while fight scenes were choreographed by Tulley. Corrections have been made within the article.