Slaughter without spirit: Too much concept kills 'Macbeth'

January 12, 1:26 PMChicago Theatre Review ExaminerCatey Sullivan

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PHotos by Liz Lauren,  Top: Ben Carlson and Karen Aldridge as  Lord and Lady Macbeth. Bottom, Karen Aldridge as Lady Macbeth.

It took more than 20 years forChicago Shakespeare Theater to give audiences a full-fledged production of the Scottish Play. And it’s to our immense frustration that despite the wealth of artistic and financial resources CST has accrued over the decades, "Macbeth" fails to bewitch. Double, double, toil and tarnation: A misguided concept sinks Shakespeare’s tragedy of savagery faster than a newt’s eye tossed into a witches’ burbling cauldron.

The root of the trouble lies with director Barbara Gaines sleek modernization of the piece. Instead of the near-feral world of ancient Scotland, this "Macbeth" is set in contemporary Chicago. While gore oozes and spurts throughout, the setting is pure post-modern sophistication rather a place of primitive savagery and slaughter. Certainly, Lord and Lady McB engage in all the gruesome barbarity the text calls for. But there’s a fatal layer of disconnect between the wild barbarity of the action and the gloss of urbane sophistication Gaines has superimposed on the story.

Characters come and go in exquisitely cut suits and evening gowns, gliding through an environment of sleek chrome and glass. The wilds of Birnam Wood are replaced by a precisely choreographed regiment of shield-bearing soldiers, the ancient castle Dunsinane is a pent-house overlooking Chicago’s glittering skyline.

Gaines punctuates all this post-modern minimalism with visuals pulled from an S & M handbook. The three Weird Sisters are trussed up in leather hotpants and harnesses, Lady M (Karen Aldridge) evokes no one so much as Sasha Fierce. There’s even scene that seems to be set in a dungeon - the kind people pay to be spanked in as opposed to the underground prisons of yore. In all, the look of the piece appeals to the prurient part of us all. But as much fun as “Macbeth” is to look at, Gaines’ concept doesn’t serve the text as much as it overwhelms it.

The feral core of “Macbeth” – pagan, howling and ancient – is obscured by cosmopolitan surfaces and faux-porn.
That’s a shame, because when Gaines does tap into the inherent, terrifying ferocity in the piece, she does so with gusto. When Macbeth (Ben Carlson) utters “blood will have blood”, it becomes a dire three-word summation of the entire plot. For bloodthirsty thrills, the “Saw” franchise has nothing on Gaines. Her staging of a dinner party wherein Macbeth is haunted by those he’s murdered is definitely not for the squeamish. And what “Psycho” did for showers, Gaines does for bathtubs in illustrating a death that Shakespeare left offstage.

As Macbeth and his ambitious wife, Ben Carlson and Karen Aldridge gamely immerse themselves in slaughter. They’re solid, if not spectacular, propelling the action along if not delving the intricate shadings of each character.

Accessibility has always been Gaines’ strength, and that doesn’t change with ‘Macbeth.” The story is crystal clear, from Macbeth’s first, fortuitous meeting with the witches, to his final face-off with Macduff. But as clear as the nuts and bolts of the plot are, the spirit of the story remains hidden.