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Nicole Bournas-Ney Nicole Bournas-Ney's Review of Macbeth at Brooklyn Academy of Music The story of Macbeth, a tale of ambition, murder and supernatural forces, is in itself compelling. Ninagawa's attempt at creating an intensely dramatic Macbeth is overkill. It drives the characters into constant, unnecessary hysteria. With the actors screaming almost every line and with pounding taiko drumming announcing scenes and acts, this version of Macbeth lacked any subtlety. I think that there was a confusion between volume and meaning in this version of Shakespeare's story. What came to mind when wondering what went wrong with this version was Throne of Blood, partly because of the fact that the latter was very effective and partly because it was played out in a very different style than that of Ninagawa's Macbeth. In Kurosawa's unique version of the Macbeth story, Throne of Blood, most of the turmoil is internal, more muted, but ultimately more forceful than Ninagawa's blatant turbulence. For example, in Throne of Blood, in the spine-chillingly realistic scene in which the forest moves, we see tall evergreens sway in almost complete silence, with the elegant soldiers well-hidden behind them. In Ninagawa's jarring, yet unmoving version, bright, almost neon-green trees approach Macbeth's castle as drums crash, with very visible soldiers covered in blood. There is a reason that Ninagawa's loud dramatics did not convey much emotion and power. This is because the pounding music, bright red lights accompanied by crashes, and completely ungraceful, rough armies covered in smears of blood, were overwhelming. This leaves you no room to consider what you are being presented with, no time to digest what ideas and warnings are embedded in Shakespeare's tale. The only truly interesting element in the production was the innovative stage design. For instance, all three sides of the stage were covered in mirrors. These mirrors, in a physical sense, enabled Ninagawa to use four or five men, endlessly reflected in the mirrors surrounding them, to represent vast armies and forests. In a more abstract sense, the mirrors may reflect the fact that the theme of balancing ambition and ethics is reflected in many situations throughout time, not just in Macbeth. Although this Macbeth is disappointing, it may seem more compelling to fans of the play (this Shakespeare story has never been one of my favorites). Even though I don't think that this installment of the Next Wave series from BAM really accomplished what it set out to do, it left a few interesting innovations on the shore for future directors to incorporate into their versions. |
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