Shakespeare meets Braveheart in Repercussion's Macbeth

>> The Underdogs should have its tail between its legs

by AMY BARRATT

My mother still talks about a production of Macbeth she saw years ago in which the part of MacDuff's youngest child was played by a rubber baby doll. The scene in which it is killed was played downstage centre and, as the doll was repeatedly stabbed with a sword, it repeatedly bounced. Needless to say, snickers and guffaws spread through the house like chicken pox at a daycare.

Happily, that there's no bouncing in Repercussion Theatre's Macbeth, which is playing in parks around Montreal throughout the summer. There is a baby doll however, and the killing does take place in full view of the audience. As most of the other murders in the play take place off-stage, I'm at a loss to understand why director Jack Langedijk chose to present this one in such graphic, yet amateurish, detail.

But a detail is all it is in this generally solid production. Open-air Shakespeare is always a little coarse. Because of the inevitable distractions, everything must be played bigger and broader than it might on an intimate indoor stage. Screams and cheers from a nearby pool and seemingly radioactive cicadas (they were that loud) were among the distractions last Wednesday night in Westmount Park.

The text has been pared down wisely so that the storyline remains clear but never drags. Actors double up on small roles and some characters are rolled into one to keep the cast manageable. Cas Anvar, Repercussion's artistic director, is cast as MacDuff, but at the performance I attended, his understudy Joel Benson went on and gave one of the most memorable performances of the evening. MacDuff has some of the most emotional moments in the play and Benson played them from the gut, eschewing scenery chewing.

As Lady Macbeth, Danielle Wilson fell victim to the unrelenting pace of the production. Especially at the beginning, her performance seemed more loud and enthusiastic than scheming, but this get-things-done-kinda-gal ultimately grew on me. After all, her husband is the indecisive one. Robert Hamilton had some fine moments in the title role. Langedijk brings a Braveheart touch to the rag-tag Scottish troops by having them yell "Scotland!" with fists raised defiantly every time they go into battle.

As written, there are three witches in Macbeth, plus their queen, Hecate. In this production, Hecate (Kristen van Ginhoven) becomes the third weird sister and her role is expanded so that she is an almost constantly present, suggesting magic at work throughout the play. Tall and androgynously clad, she has tremendous presence. I hope someday to see her as Henry V.

Spike Lyne's drenched-in-red lighting design is obvious, but appropriately so. In fact, it's a study in how many different effects can be achieved with red gels. My compliments also to the limber technicians crawling about in the grass, toting heavy lights and manually creating various effects.

While I'm positively thankful for individual moments in Langedijk's direction, I feel he should be prevented from going anywhere near a smoke machine for at least five years.

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Well, I gave it the benefit of the doubt: I attended the opening night of William Weintraub's The Underdogs last week. What with a sucker being born every minute and all, the entire run will doubtless be sold out by the time this goes to print. Nevertheless, I feel compelled to implore: please don't waste your money!

When I talked to director Joel Greenberg about the show prior to the opening, he assured me it was not sketch comedy. That's technically true since there is a single storyline. But make no mistake, The Underdogs is a preachy version of Bowser and Blue, minus the catchy tunes. It's not a play but a diatribe punctuated by cheap, obvious jokes. Note to the playwright: stealing a page from Terry Mosher's book and putting Louise Beaudoin in black leather is not political satire. I imagine that Mordecai Richler, who was in the opening night audience, must have been pained by the lack of wit. But Weintraub's Westmount target audience is such a slut for this shit that he doesn't even have to set up the jokes. Merely to have a character utter the words "apostrophe" or "Hydro-Québec" is sufficient to inspire an ovation. Puh-lease. Cheap cheap cheap.