I really enjoy Theatre. I think it can be fun or thought-provoking, funny or sad, but mostly enjoyable. It’s a good evening out with friends (real or imaginary) and an opportunity to capture that moment when THIS performance is being created and pushed out into the Aether, captured only by the eyes and minds of those present, never to be seen in the exact same way again.

But every now and then, Theatre is much more than that. Great Plays are Great; and Great Actors come along once in a while. When those two worlds collide, the final product is breathtaking.  It was an honor and a privilege to see Sir Kenneth Branagh on stage in New York City performing Macbeth, and something I can tell people about for the rest of my life.

Entering the Park Avenue Armory on a rainy June day was in itself a thrill. The old building reeked of history and elegance. The audience members were divided into Clans (Go Clan Robertson!) and allowed to mingle with our fellow clansmen before being shepherded out to the seating area. A bell rang and the great doors opened to reveal a blasted heath. Treading carefully along a path, strange cloaked men wandered the moor by torchlight. Our goal? Stonehenge of course. But not a tiny This is Spinal Tap -type Stonehenge. No, this was substantial and eerie.

 Photo from the Park Avenue Armory

The seats were hard benches but I was in the second row and was not complaining about anything. Stonehenge was even more impressive as we could now see through the megaliths, lines of people being lead by torchlight through the moor. Stonehenge was just a gateway to the “stage”, a long narrow dirt track that lead up to a raised “Altar” and more megaliths framing a triptych of religious images. Dozens of candles were being lit by a veiled woman as the audience found their seats.

As the show began, the Witches, eerie and acrobatic gave way to a thunderous battle. Swords clashed, blood flew, rain pelted the performers and a few of us at the front. But the wall that surrounded the action was enough to keep people safe. We still flinched back as soldiers (and the Mr. and Mrs) smashed themselves against the wall in aggressive (and sexual) fury. Yes, that’s right, Sir Ken stripped off to reveal a battered and bruised torso upon returning to his castle, where his primary goal was to get Lady MacB (Alex Kingston) to hoist up her skirts and bend over.

But enough savagery! The play really gets going when plans are made and dispatched. It is an old old story [*Spoiler Alert – Everyone dies*] and this production played it out well. What were some surprises for me?

• The murdering of the king was actually played out on the “Altar” (rarely seen and heartbreaking)
• Alex Kingston decided to cut to the chase with Lady MacB’s crazy early in her performance. No sharp “Crazy Curve” for her; she went with “Crazy from the start”. (I’ll talk a little more about Lady Macbeth’s “Crazy Curve” in another blog entry.)
• Also, the production decided to let her do her big “Out Damn Spot” speech from the TOP of the altar’s megaliths. Stunning!
• When he was told his wife was dead, Sir Ken was RIGHT IN FRONT OF ME! The power of his voice was like a shotgun of emotion. I don’t know how the others can stand up to him on stage.
• Speaking of which, the young actor who played Young Siward looked like he was 15 years old. Watching the brutish, red-headed Scot bear down on him was actually a bit frightening.

All-in-all it was Magnificent! I never cheered so loudly as the actors took their bows, and the thunderous applause for Branagh was rafter-shaking. It was a performance of a lifetime and I was one of the few people on the Earth that was allowed to see it.