Today, I was especially proud of my seniors (and the one sophomore and one junior that went). They really represented the school well on our field trip to the MSU Shakespeare Festival. For the most part, they were really respectful and mature throughout the whole process, and I think they even had fun...at the very least, I know they did in lunch and on the bus! Really and truly though, they were very good as a whole. As I looked out at all the students I saw in there talking or sleeping or texting or listening to music (mental scream) from other schools, I was supremely grateful for my students, who at least mostly kept their phones put up :) There was of course that one group of boys who talked through 90% of the play, and I really just wish I had followed my gut and not let the ringleader go on the trip. His promises to behave himself were of course meaningless - as was his apology - "Hey, I wasn't as bad as I could have been." Overall though, it was definitely a good experience all around.
Although it was fun, I hate to say it, but I didn't love the performance. I think I've just seen too many fantastic performances of Macbeth to be satisfied with a pretty good performance. The show I saw at Louisville's "Shakespeare in the Park" a few years ago completely blew this one away, with the gothic tartan costumes, the intensely evil witches and murderers, and the brutal beheading of Macbeth. The horrific scene of the Macduff family's slaughter in that version still gives me chills, whereas in this one it was slightly confusing and almost laughable rather than creepy like I think it was intended to be.
Then there's the new PBS film version. This production is just phenomenal. The World War-esque interpretation and the witches as nurses was simply inspired. You can watch the entire movie here:
http://www.pbs.org/wnet/gperf/episodes/macbeth/watch-the-full-program/1030/
There were just some interpretations I really didn't care for in the ASC performance...Hecate? Really? It was way too over-the-top for me. I understand how having a guy play Hecate could have worked, but it just seemed like a joke. It took away from the witches' creepiness, and I thought they were pretty good up til then. I did like the apparitions out of the bloody cloth - just not the stupid Hecate voice. Seriously, it was too far...instead of seeming odd and sinister, it honestly seemed like Hecate was mentally challenged. That was the worst bit. In other places though, I just got a little bored. There wasn't much new or exciting about this interpretation to me - one of the most amazing things about Shakespeare is that he is timeless, and his work can be interpreted in so many ways. I love to see a performance where the actors and the audience are part of the creative process - where the language and themes of Shakespeare's work can be viewed through a thought-provoking and relevant new lens. This one just didn't do it for me.
Also, I'm very proud of Andrew for finishing all his auditions and doing such a good job! :)
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