Staging Shakespeare: A Review of the ISF’s Macbeth
Saturday, September 6th, 2008Before we started Shrew rehearsals, I decided that I wanted to reward myself once the production was finished with a trip to see some professional Shakespeare. Neither my husband nor I were up to another trip to Ashland (way too far to drive, tight budget = no air fare this year, etc.), so I decided to see what the Idaho Shakespeare Festival in Boise was offering. Lo and behold, they were putting on Macbeth, one of my favorite plays and one that I had in the back of my mind as a possible contender for next year’s Highland Players’ production. I asked my mom and brother (both of whom live in Boise) if they wanted to go, reserved the tickets, and planned to see Macbeth on August 15th with my family!
Then my mom sent me an article from the Boise paper, The Idaho Statesman, describing the opening of the 2008 season at the ISF. I read it eagerly, looking for information about my beloved Scottish play that I was so looking forward to seeing…and saw that it was described as being distinctly Asian with costumes, sets, drums, etc. What????? The Scottish play is going to be Oriental?
Yes, I know that Akira Kurosawa did Throne of Blood, so it’s not like Macbeth has never been set in the Far East. But that doesn’t mean it’s how I, personally, like my Shakespeare. I LOVE seeing European costumes, whether they be the actual time periods of the play (early Middle Ages for Macbeth, for example) or simply Elizabethan in feel and look, and with Macbeth, I was really hoping to see lots of plaid, European swords and armor, and hear some bagpipes. And being of Scottish descent – I’ve attended numerous Highland Festivals and Robert Burns Dinners, and even traveled to Scotland with my mom seven years ago - I was sad that the ISF’s Macbeth wasn’t going to be what I wanted it to be.
So August 15th rolled around and we got ready to go see what I hoped wouldn’t be a total disappointment. Oh my goodness…it was so far from being a total disappointment, I’m not sure if I can adequately explain just how amazing it all was! Even my mom (who was more disappointed than I was that it wasn’t going to be the “Scottish” Play) could not believe how wonderful it was. And my brother, who doesn’t really care for Shakespeare but came along anyway to spend time with us (prepared with his iPod and a book to read, just in case) was completely engrossed in the story and absolutely loved it!
To begin with, the acting was amazing…simply amazing. Both Macbeth (Dougfred Miller) and Lady Macbeth (Laura Perrotta) were haunting, frightening, and their chemistry together was something to see! After being such a hateful, ambitious horror in the beginning, Lady Macbeth brought tears to my eyes in her sleepwalking scene at the end of the play – the depth of her emotion and portrayal of regret was stunning. And it wasn’t just the leads that made this show a success – every single actor and actress in the play was phenomenal! Lady Macduff and her son have such brief parts, but they proved that there are NO small parts – and neither of them were small actors! I cried when they were murdered – it was such a powerful, painfully sad scene, and so well done by all involved. And the witches…I wish I could spend several pages just describing the witches. Their costumes (costume designer Star Moxley did an amazing job with the entire cast) and makeup were frightening without being gory, and the director actually put them into more scenes, thus demonstrating their control over and manipulation of Macbeth. Their silent contribution to the banquet scene with the ghost of Banquo was incredible to behold!
Director Charles Fee knew just what he was doing when he set the Scottish play in feudal Japan. I am so glad I had the chance to see this production, and I am looking forward to seeing what the Idaho Shakespeare Festival will offer next summer! I’m sure it will be a great way to relax following my own directorial attempt at the Scottish Play!



