Blood will have Blood – Macbeth Review

Shakespeare’s timeless tragedy Macbeth will see a three week run at the Hart House Theatre this month and we sat down for opening night this past Wednesday to witness the murder, betrayal and corruption first hand.

Scottish nobleman Macbeth (William Foley) is told an evil prophecy by three witches (Susan Q Wilson, Claire Acott, Annemieke Wade) and with the help of his scheming wife (Jackie Rowland), he is led to kill the king and seize the throne. His wife begins hallucinating as a result of her guilt complex and the dead king's son conspires to attack Macbeth and expose him for the murderer he is.

The play opens with the sounds of rain and thunder and the spooky introduction to the Weird Sisters. Wilson, Acott and Wade lend their strong talents to the three witches and really manage to claw under your skin. We’ve seen Acott in a number of other Hart House productions, but her transformation into a hunched over, feral witch was impressive - it took a moment to place her on stage. Their vivid essence left a lingering presence throughout the rest of the play, even when they weren’t actually on stage.

A well choreographed sword fighting scene follows. The action taking place on the small stage seems genuinely authentic and you almost forget that you’re watching live theatre. This is your first introduction to Foley’s Macbeth, a ruthless portrayal that only grows more so throughout the play. As the blood around him continues to spill, Foley pushes himself to fall further and further into Macbeth’s corrupt madness, bringing all of us with him to meet his inevitable doom.

As with all Shakespearian plays, the tongue twisting dialogue is the most challenging and often gives actors quite a bit of trouble in these productions. Thankfully, even for opening night, any issues with the script went mostly unnoticed and the play itself ran smoothly over the course of the night.

Macbeth has a three week run:
Nov 9-12: Wed to Sat 8pm
Nov 16-19: Wed to Sat 8pm
Nov 23-26: Wed to Sat 8pm + Sat 2pm

Tickets: Adults $25
Students & Seniors $15
$10 student tickets every Wednesday night!

images from hart house website