New Version of “Macbeth” to Debut in New Haven
“What’s done is done,” is one of the most famous lines from William Shakespeare’s classic play Macbeth. But what Lady Macbeth obviously didn’t know when she said it was that what’s done is about to be redone. Macbeth has been done on Broadway and in community and school theaters everywhere, but it’s probably never be done the way it’s about to be showcased at the Long Wharf Theater in New Haven, Connecticut.
The theatre takes on the task of taking Shakespeare’s play, which was set in 11th century Scotland and England, and transforms it into a 1969 Vietnam play, focusing on two soldiers who have returned from war badly wounded, and the three nurses that attend to them. But just because the play has undergone a huge transformation doesn’t mean that the major themes of the play have been lost. Macbeth at the Long Wharf will still focus on how traumatizing strife and conflict can be, and the strength of the human spirit.
Taking on such a classic and revamping it into something completely different is a challenge. But there’s no doubt that director Eric Ting’s mission to bring it closer to home and make it more relatable will strike chords with those who lived through not only the Vietnam war, but the war in Iraq and Afghanistan as well.
Dressing for the major roles in the play are Shirine Babb, McKinley Belcher III, Jackie Chung, George Kulp, Barret O’Brien and Socorro Santiago. And if you want to see the new take on an old classic, you better get your Macbeth tickets quick; the show is only on from January 18 — February 12.
Categorized in: Theater