De Biasio 1

Michael De Biasio
Mr. Cahatol
ENG 3U1
Monday, November 10th, 2014
The Classical Theatre Projects Macbeth: Integrated and Modernized

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3 of 4 stars
At the Winter Garden Theatre. 189
Yonge Street. 416-915-6750
The Classical Theatre Project's (CTP)
premier performance of The Tragedy
of Macbeth last Wednesday was
compelling. It follows the title
character Macbeth, who is driven to
murder and insanity through his
vaulting ambition and confidence.

A photo of the knife fight that takes place

between Macbeth (Benjamin Blais) and
Macduff (Jeff Hanson).
The play, under the direction of
Charles Roy, brought the 17th century
Macbeth into present-day Syria with
great ease. Despite the original play

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may not be noticed, but is very
effective none the less.
Despite this, Roy did not properly
convey the importance of the
apparitions. Unlike the written text, no
figures appear to tell Macbeth his 3
prophecies; one of the witches says
them all. These figures have great
significance, and I believe that Roy
should have included them in his
rendition of Macbeth. Just like how Roy
illuminated the dagger on the back
panel during Macbeth's hallucination, I
believe that putting an image of these
figures would have better influenced
the significance and meaning of the
play.

being set in feudalist Scotland, the

play adaptation brings the well-known
Macbeth to a more contemporary
audience. Roy was able to integrate
this play into the war in Syria with
eloquence and maturity, still keeping
true to Shakespeare's plot and
character development.
Multiple directional choices gave the
audience a different perspective. In
Macbeth's dagger hallucination in Act
2 Scene 1, Roy decides to show a
bloody dagger on the back walls,
which helps the audience see the
hallucination from Macbeths
perspective. This, in my opinion, is a
favourable way to outline the
hallucination.
Furthermore, the appearance of
Banquo's ghost throughout Act 3
Scene 4 was done in an interesting
and enjoyable fashion. Roy chose to
integrate an intermission into the
middle of the scene, which allowed for
the audience to feel two different
perspectives at a single point of time;
Macbeth's perspective leading into the
intermission, and the lord's
perspective following the intermission.
Through this, Roy made commendable
choices that helped bring out the
meaning behind the scene.

The three witches set the erie mood at

the beginning of the CTPs performance
of Macbeth. The background dictates a
tent set in modern-day Syria.
That being said, the absence of the
apparitions can be greatly attributed
to the increased role of the witches in
the play. Although they may not have

Roy also chose to make Macbeth the

third murderer in the murder of
Banquo in Act 3 Scene 3. This could be
comprehended in the written play,
although it isnt directly stated, so the
choice of who plays the third murderer
is very much to the discretion of the
director of the play. It was an
interesting choice made by Roy that

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as many lines, the witches provide a
mysterious mood and appear much
more than is noted in the written play.
In the performance, when there is
relation to Macbeths prophecy, the
witches are present, illustrating their
supernatural essence and constant,
hidden presence throughout the play.
Although there was an increased
supernatural presence, there were still
multiple casting roles absent,
including Donnaldbain, Lennox and
Hecate. However, seeing to the CTPs
reduced cast productions, they did a
good job of removing and replacing
these parts without compromising the
overall plot and theme of the play.

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From this reduced cast, all the actors

did a magnificent job, specifically
Lauren Dobbie and Benjamin Blais.
Dobbie, who played Lady Macbeth, did
a superb job bringing about the
manipulative and malicious attitude of
Lady Macbeth, while Blais held the
lead role of Macbeth with exuberance.
They were able to adequately display
the emotions and state of both
Macbeth and Lady Macbeth through
their irrational and outlined behaviour.
Other notable mentions include Jeff
Hanson and Adam Pellerine as Macduff
and Malcolm, respectively.
Overall, the Classical Theatre Project
has put together a thorough,
modernized version of Macbeth.
Although there are some questionable
moments, the overall play was
pleasing and there are no major
criticisms to make. It is definitely a
must-see for those looking for a
quality production of Macbeth.