I should start this review by saying I don’t really like Shakespeare. And by that, I mean I was forced to read it in middle school, high school, and freshman year at Skidmore. I read Macbeth 5 years ago, so I wasn’t entirely clear on the plot going into the play. I expected some confusion, especially because that comes up often in Shakespeare’s works. I promise I’m not going to turn this review into a rant about ‘Why I Hate Shakespeare and You Should, Too,’ but I will say that it’s pretty widely accepted that he plagiarized most of his work. So, that’s cool. (Just kidding it’s not cool be original.) Anyways.

Look, they tried. But on a lot of levels they didn’t deliver. The fight scenes seemed slow, and a little under-practiced. It just felt too safe, and isn’t the point of a fight the danger of it? (but tbh, why don’t we solve more personal problems with sword fights? because that would be fun. maybe?)

I got the sense that almost everyone would have benefitted from a few more run throughs before opening night. The actors seemed stiff and sometimes unconvincing. Also, please annunciate. I didn’t understand half of what was said. It almost seemed like the actors didn’t either, like when you’re mumbling along with a song because you don’t know the lyrics. But suddenly the music cuts out so you’re just mumbling to yourself.

A lot of the characters in the play were gender swapped, which is a rad thing to do, but it fell kind of flat here. It didn’t seem revolutionary (a lot of productions do this) and at times what they were saying didn’t align with the (previously established) gender of the character. If Macduff is genderqueer, that’s great, do it--but my problem with the character was that she had only previously been referred to as feminine, and so to switch that in an emotionally charged scene was distracting more than anything else. If Macduff was genderqueer then maybe that should have been established earlier? Overall, the play just seemed like it could use some clarification, cleaning up, and more conviction from some of the actors.

What did work? The set was pretty stellar. Maybe it wasn’t utilized in all of the ways it could have been, but it was really cool. Props to Garett E. Wilson for that, plus the students involved (Thomas Chandler ‘16, Mackenzie Whiting, ‘16, and Catherine Heller ‘17). The same goes for the sound effects and lighting. It helped clarify the mood of the scene and, more importantly, who, if more than the audience, was being addressed. Also, how do I make my hair do the things that Lady Macbeth and Macduff had going on because, so cool. The costumes, while they often looked like what the typical New England girl wears in fall (leggings, riding boots, belted tunic, anyone? yeah I’m guilty of this), were appropriate.

Woodrow Proctor ‘16 (Macbeth) delivers. Rigel Harris ‘16 (Lady Macbeth) does too. Honestly, I’m scared for Woodrow and scared of Rigel. From my (limited) knowledge/understanding of their roles, this is how it should work. Both were able to convince me of the their characters. They felt genuine and unrehearsed (in a convincing, not messy, way). Woodrow has been in a ton of productions at Skidmore, often as a lead. If you see Macbeth, you’ll understand why. Honestly, Harris and Proctor make Macbeth worth seeing, plus the second act is better so you have to stay until the end.

The play continues after Thanksgiving break, hopefully giving them time to figure out the kinks, with shows at the following times:

December 3, 4, 5 @ 8:00 PM

December 6 @ 2:00 PM

Tickets are $8 for students

All photos courtesy of Skidmore College Theater Department