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Murderers (Lorna Smith - left and Teisha Duncan) hold MacBeth (Troy Chambers) at knifepoint. - Contributed
ONE OF the first things one learns in studying English Literature is that Shakespeare is sacred. Since his words have been so instrumental in helping the British empire grow, that is not at all surprising. The world of theatre is not much different in relation to The Bard. To be a Shakespearean actor (and that does not refer to people who have simply tortured the 'Friends, Roman's Countrymen...' and other such speeches) is to wear a badge of distinction.
The new production by The School of Drama, The Clown's MacBeth showed that a little irreverence, even of the great bard himself, can be a good thing.
The Clown's Macbeth is directed by William Lampert and was written by Wayne Anthoney. The cast is comprised of Keniesha Bowes, Kerraine Dennis, Teisha Duncan, Lorna Smith, Casandra Henry and Troy Chambers. All except Chambers are students of The School of Drama. In an interview with The Gleaner after a performance, Lampert noted that this kind of staging is usually used as street theatre in Europe.
The Clown's MacBeth brings an interesting flavour to the theatrical buffet. As such, all theatre lovers should make an effort to see this production before it closes this weekend, so they can add variety to their fare. However, it is best to be forearmed when going to see this production.
ENHANCED
Although one's enjoyment of the production might be enhanced by having an idea of what MacBeth is about, the first thing to realise about The Clown's MacBeth is that it is not MacBeth as you (or most people) know it. Many of the characters from the original play are present and some recognisable semblance of the plot is also present, but that is where the similarities end.
The play's director describes it, in his notes, as 'a gross travesty of the real MacBeth'. Knowing that this travesty is intentional is very important if what is presented can be enjoyed to its fullest extent.
What is presented is a troupe of clowns who give a performance of MacBeth, without any serious intention of 'playing Shakespeare'. Even when they move into the characters from Macbeth, their clownish behaviour continues with them. This tends to include their props and costumes. As such, the audience is never allowed to forget that the players are clowns. So, rather than Shakespeare's tragedy, what results is something of a comedy of errors as the clowns attempt to perform MacBeth.
CLOWNS
There is no attempt to turn the lines of MacBeth into comic ones. However, when they are delivered by clowns, or combined with clowning, they often become hilarious.
From the outset, it is made clear that the clowns have no intention of taking the play seriously. It is also made plain that they do not know much about it either, which only serves to make the situations more comedic.
The comedy is enhanced because the six clowns (with the exception of Chambers, who plays only MacBeth) have to take on multiple of roles, often with only a tag to say which one they are currently playing.
Chambers and Duncan particularly stood out in their portrayals. Chambers often sent the audience into gales of laughter with his exaggerated grandeur, which he could hardly carry off. Duncan seemed to be most in tune with her portrayal of 'Other' though she did shine briefly when she portrayed 'Thousands of Men' during an intense battle.