There is no lack of ambition at Resurrection Theatre.
The company “dedicated to providing challenging” theatre to the Sacramento area has taken on no small endeavor by staging one of the greatest Shakespearean tragedies, Macbeth. They further test themselves by shrinking the massive beast to fit within the walls of the Wilkerson theatre, and within a two hour production. As if that weren’t enough, the ambitious artists of 25th and R Street throw in the twist of Macbeth being played by a woman.
So how successful were they? More so in some facets than others, as it turns out.
The concept behind the production, examining the true themes of the show such as greed, betrayal, and (yes) ambition through the eyes of a woman in the title role, isn’t as jarring to the audience as one might imagine, or in truth, as those behind the production might have assumed it would be. Individually, the themes work perfectly well, despite the switch in gender. Even Macbeth and Lady Macbeth- now an overbearing mother/resentful daughter relationship- still works… textually. However, the change in relationship all but gelds Lady Macbeth, one of Shakespeare’s most ruthlessly sexually charged female characters, effectively leaving Margaret Morneau (as Lady M) with nothing to work with. Consequently, Macbeth no longer responds to his wife’s visceral imagery or bawdy manipulation, but rather her domineering stage parent-like prodding. The switch does beg the question, though, what does Lady Macbeth gain from these bloody deeds with this relationship? In the original text, she gains status along with her husband, but what would the mother of this fearless warrior get?
Resurrection had an uphill climb with this production, from the beginning. The magic and gore of Macbeth was limited by the small space, to the point of audience discomfort during the somewhat unwieldy fight scenes and definitely by the extensive pillar dance-laden scene changes (of which there were many.) The many challenges that Benjamin Ismail and his cast of nine faced did not detract from some impressive performances: Jouni Kirjola gave a solid rendition of the betrayed Banquo, while Brandon Lancaster was mostly successful with his balancing act between strong and sympathetic as Malcolm. Comfort and confidence were apparent while Gina Williams was on stage as Ross, and Scott Divine had some truly touching moments as Macduff.
All in all, Resurrection Theatre Company has succeeded in their goal of deconstructing the elements that make up one of the most ambitious plays in the English language. Whether or not they tamed the Scottish beast will be up to audiences, but either way, as the patrons were reminded at the beginning of the show, “support local theatre!”
Shows: Thursday, Friday and Saturday at 8 pm thru March 19, 2011. Tickets: $15 General Admission,
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