Out damn
Scot! Alan Cumming makes a mad Macbeth
What are we talking
about? A staging of Shakespeare's Macbeth by National Theatre of Scotland, with
a twist... It's set in a psychiatric unit, full of CCTV cameras, where a
patient relives the story of Macbeth's reign.
Elevator pitch Is this a
CCTV camera I see before me? Macbeth gets the modern madness treatment.
Prime movers It's
directed by John Tiffany, the man behind NTS's huge hit Black Watch, with Andy
Goldberg (best known for hip-hop Shakespeare The Bomb-itty of Errors).
The stars Alan Cumming,
who is, as the press release puts it, a "Hollywood actor and award-winning
Scot" (though presumably the awards were for acting, not Scottishness).
The early buzz It
transfers to New York, and American bloggers are excited: The New York Times
arts blog said Cumming "will perform every single role in the Shakespeare
tragedy, including the regicidal schemer of its title and his devious,
spot-obsessed wife (though we're especially intrigued to see what he does with
the three witches)". Perez Hilton wrote, "Words like 'ambitious' come
to mind! We're excited/fascinated to report that Alan Cumming is set to star in
an upcoming one-man version of Macbeth... Sweet!" while The Huffington
Post imagined Cumming "looking in his bathroom mirror saying, 'You just
beat everyone at Macbeth so hard,' while he palms Shakespeare's original
manuscript with one ungloved hand and spoons veggie haggis into his sneering
mouth with the other..."
Insider knowledge
"The Scottish Play" is the first Shakespeare the NTS has ever staged,
and casting Cumming is doubly neat: he made his own stage debut with Macbeth in
1993, playing Malcolm at Glasgow's Tron theatre.
It's great that ...
while not technically a one-man play as originally hyped, Cumming does speak
all the lines: we can't think of anyone better to gender-bend between Macbeth,
his lady wife, and the witches.
It's a shame that ...
following a luke-warm reception for the "it's all in his mind" Hamlet
set in a psychiatric institution/the Young Vic last year, the concept may
struggle for fresh-eyed critical sympathy here.
Hit potential Macbeth
often can absorb high concepts, and Cumming will prove a draw. Americans seem
keen, so may be a hit in New York.
The details Macbeth is at Tramway, Glasgow, 13 - 30 June (nationaltheatrescotland.com)
Source: The Independent
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