Modern-day tragedy

Repercussion Theatre get their act together as Macbeth prepares to tour the island

I’ve found out, speaking over the years with people in all the jobs that make up a theatre company, that putting a professional show together can be a big, daunting deal. Add to that a tour­ing, outdoor production and you’ve got some work on your hands. The lawn chair and blanket shows that Repercussion Theatre create in Montreal parks every year—by this point, a must-see event in the summer calendar—have such a breezy feel, it does-n’t seem like a full year of planning has gone before. Director Arianna Bardesono takes on Shakespeare’s Macbeth for their current tour, resetting the drama in present-day North America. Instead of kilts and claymores, this cast wields suits and cell phones. The trio of witches who mess with Macbeth are still there, too—only now, they’re six-foot-plus transvestites wearing wigs that would fit seamlessly into any mid-70s Funkadelic show. Whichev­er era the play resides in, the ambition, blood and thirst for power is unchanged.

I’m walking around a park in Côte-St-Luc on the hottest, most humid day of summer so far, watching the action and talking here and there with cast and crew. Rehearsals and set-ups are happening all at once in small groups scattered around the half-constructed stage. Bits from Macbeth loop out of sequence as the team works out the myriad little problems and details—all the while trying to keep momentum going in the stifling heat: witches adjust their platform heels and shimmy into miniskirts in the shade; Macduff’s son practices getting killed as he’s throttled by an assassin and thrown to the floor; and Macbeth, spit flying, shouts lines in another character’s face as they stand in a grassy field apart from the others.

Dustin Kagan-Fleming, who plays Macduff’s son, says, “It’s like a dream come true for me. I’m always watching the other actors and seeing things I can pick up on.”

Artistic director Paul Hopkins, a veteran of Shakespeare since his days at Stratford, takes on the title role for the first time. “It’s been 12 or 13 years since we’ve done one of these big, epic tragedies and I thought…it’s time,” he says. “It’s the story of a man who’s sold his soul to the devil, but almost from the beginning of the play he’s trying to stop it.”

“I decided to break the stage into several parts,” says set designer Cassandre Chatonnier. “I have a diploma in architecture, and I’m interested in how constrained space can influence actors— something you can feel first, before it reaches your brain.”

NTS grad Chala Hunter, who plays the Scottish Thane, Lennox, is most excited about the touring aspect. “I’m excited to go to all the different parks. I’ve seen their work and love how Reper­cussion shows change with each new venue. They’re an inventive company who make risky and volatile theatre.”

Choice venues on the tour for downtowners include tomorrow, night, Friday, July 29 at Mount Royal Cemetery (1297 Chemin de la Forêt). Two sets of shows at Westmount Park (August 2–3 and August 20–21, at de Maisonneuve W. and Lansdowne), and dates at Parc Lafontaine and NDG Park.

Admission as always is free—but do give money when they pass the hat at intermission. Funding and sponsor cuts have hit this resilient company hard, and it would be nice if they stuck around. ■

MACBETH RUNS FROM JULY 28–AUG. 21 AT PARKS IN AND AROUND MONTREAL. INFO AND SCHEDULE: REPERCUSSIONTHEATRE.COM, 514-916-PARK

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