| Macbeth | Rough Hewn Theatre Troupe |
| Written by lloyd bradford (brad) syke |
| Friday, 14 August 2009 09:03 |
 Left - Christian Grant and Felicia Kontoulas. Cover - Eleni Schumacher'The Scottish play' that dare not speak its name is back, as topically as ever, around 400 years after its debut. With political assassination both passe and imminent, it could hardly have been staged at a better time. Both JDB and, especially, his sartorial splendiferousness seem as singlemindedly hellbent on slithering from deputy dawg to top dog status, with nary a care for either their next-to-non-existent popular appeal, nor the welfare of the rotten state. But that's another story, no matter how coincidental. Nonetheless, I'd like to see a Macbeth set in Brewarrina, or Bourke, evoking both the desolation of naked ambition, outback towns and the barren sociopolitical landscape. The Rough Hewn Theatre Troupe, resident to the northern beaches, has deployed a youthful cast (well, it is a youth company, an initiative of Stella Maris College, Manly, so it's no surprise to see talented ex-students, like David Halgren, as Macduff), directed by Geoff Cartwright (a distinguished actor, who teaches there), in Shakespeare's bloody and, by his standards, bloody short tragedy. Unlike, it appears, the cloak-and-dagger skullduggery of New South Welsh senior ministers, who appear to have no compunction, Macbeth, at least, is tormented by self-doubt, guilt and all those other emotions that hamper our evolution into frigid cyborgs. In many ways, this makes the murderous literary character more credible and worthier of sympathy with than the real-life wouldbes. By reason of defamatory risk, I'll draw the line at drawing parallels with witches and passionate lovers, not least as I sense neither passion nor love in the parliament. And while the last has all the gore and more, it lacks the romance, mystery and sense of history so palpable in Macbeth. Ol' Bill, of course, is indebted to Holinshed's Chronicles, a vast tome of the late 16th-century, which, among much else, records the reigns of kings Macbeth, Macduff and Duncan who, I presume, was in demand with those, like Belinda Neal, who love nothing better than to have a chinwag over a beer. Louise Harding has more roles in this production than Eddie Murphy, or Mike Myers, in one of their movies. Set, costume and poster designer; a witch; Lady Macduff. She delivers, in all departments. The costumes, for a low-to-no budget, or any production, are surprisingly inventive, resourceful and effective. Set design (Cartwright had a hand in this as well) is cheeky, dark and delightful; not least the fleshly assortment, hung on meathooks, the witches so relished for their gruesome stew. Mitchell Smith has done a sterling, dynamic job as lighting designer (thanks, in no small measure, to a classy crew of operators, including himself, Jono Page and Christian De Stoop) and an equally flawless one as stage manager: entrances and exits were slicker than a touring car's tyres. Super Love Brain's sfx are original and piquant. Paul Wagner's fight choreography was exuberant, edgy, visceral and just that little bit dangerous. Emily Hunter's sound ops were, well, sound, too. Eleni Schumacher, Harding and Katherine Lunny, eerily shuffling into dim view as the weird women of the play, seemed to be proverbial pigs in mud, or witches in blood, which means the audience can revel in their twisted sisterhood to boot. Geoff Cartwright gives a characteristically self-assured, diligent and dignified performance as beloved King Duncan, exemplifying the finer aspects of craft incumbent upon any Bardly actor. He is clearly the leading light of the production and company, leading and inspiring the entire cast and crew, in a fresh, invigorated recapitulation of this potent tale. Christian Grant is just a little too studied and Rusty for my liking, but noone could fault his confidence, textual mastery, diction, projection or finesse. He didn't put a foot wrong, nor did his tongue strangle or stuff-up a single syllable. Despite his notional leading manhood, he was eclipsed, for mine, by Halgren, as Macduff, who seemed a little freer, more naturalistic, and more authentically invested in & involved with his character, which he thoroughly and convincingly inhabited. So, too, Josh Anderson's Malcolm. Mark my words: watch these two. Having said that, the standard was truly excellent, so distinctions are between very, very good and, perhaps, better. Felicia Kontoulas, as Lady Mac, showed real promise, embracing her complex role as avaricious, castrating, wifely puppeteer and 'I'm melting!' neurotic. Her timbre was sharp, though some words and phrases fell away, so a little more focus on elocution could be in order. Robbie Christensen, the baby of the cast, was charmingly charismatic and kudos was well-earned by most, if not all, the other actors. And let's not overlook musicians (horns, as in rams'; recorder; tambourine) Daniel Cooper, Lenka Sedlakova, Nicole Stransky and Robert Sutcliffe (who you might know as The Orion Consort), dressed in courtly manner, who were mellifluous! For a school-based, amateur outfit, this was, and is, a remarkable effort, brimming with ideas and energy. Life might be a tale told by an idiot, but this was a stinging tale, retold ingeniously. All hail to Manly's Macbeth! Rough Hewn Theatre Troupe present Macbeth by William Shakespeare Venue: Star of the Sea Theatre, Manly | corner of Iluka and Collingwood Streets Dates: 6 – 16 August Times: Thurs – Sat 7.30 pm, Sun 3.00 pm Tickets: Adults $20, Concessions $15, Groups of 20 or more, $10 per ticket. Bookings: www.trybooking.com/ZB or buy at the door Comments (0)Subscribe to this comment's feedWrite commentYou must be logged in to post a comment. Please register if you do not have an account yet.
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