California State University, Stanislaus’s theatre department held its first showing of Macbeth Tuesday evening in the university amphitheater.
Professor of Theatre, Jere O’Donnell, directed the play “Shakespeare Under the Stars.” The play will be shown through May 5 free of charge.
Gates open at 6:30 p.m. with pre-show entertainment at 7:30 p.m. The play began around 8:30 p.m. with a running time of approximately two hours.
A steady wind blew through the set bringing the stage props to life. The ripped clothes and fire lanterns blew wildly in the wind, adding a beautiful, eerie feeling to the scenes and intensifying the mystical feeling.
A steady heartbeat played throughout the play, helping to create an steady atmosphere of the unknown. The music was performed live stage left allowing the scenes to come to life. Complementing the actors, the music’s steady drum beat provided a fluid touch.
Daniel Gately, playing Macbeth, utilized the whole stage so the audience felt involved.
With pronounced body language and facial expressions, Gately engaged the audience’s empathy, projecting on them his sadness, fear and stress. All the actors did an excellent job using British accents in the rhythmic Shakespearean language.
Macbeth first appeared on the stage sitting in an iron chair, the chair resembling an execution style chair. The chair looked cold and isolated, the man who sat in it unhappy and worried.
Twice during the play, actors ran into the audience as part of a scene or during a stage exit. In one an actor ran into the audience, pretending to hide while two hit men following him searched the crowd.
The creepiest scenes belonged to the three weird sisters, in their red dresses with black material covering their faces and hands. Each time the sisters appeared, another character died.
They taunted Macbeth throughout the play, warning him of his death in a foreboding tone.
In the final battle scene between Macbeth and Macduff, the three weird sisters placed themselves with purpose onstage, one sitting next to Macbeth and Macduff holding a red ball.
The sister then rolled the ball past Macbeth symbolizing his impending death, just as Macbeth was stabbed and dragged to be strung up by his arms, left for dead.
When the play was over the actors took their bows and walked off stage.
The three weird sisters, however, remained center stage, not moving a muscle as their dresses blew in the wind.