Imagine the city of New Orleans, with its lush swamplands and ornate French Quarter balustrades. Now imagine if New Orleans were in medieval Scotland, with a stone castle and sword-wielding noblemen vying for power.
That is the dual setting of A Noise Within’s (ANW) mesmerizing rendition of William Shakespeare’s tragedy “Macbeth,” featuring a mostly Black cast in this bloody tale of ambition, murder and the emotional and psychological toll they can take.
The dual setting is vividly evoked by scenic designer Stephanie Kerley Schwartz with video projection by Nicholas Santiago that adds depth and breadth to ANW’s thrust stage. We are variously transported to the noble Macbeth’s stone castle hall, a green-tinged marsh where witches convene, New Orleans’ French Quarter and a church in England where opposing forces eventually gather.
Costumes designed by Wendell C. Carmichael are similarly mixed between modern and military suiting for the men and New Orleans-inspired gypsy-esque dresses for the three witches who prophecy Macbeth’s rise but also his friend Banquo’s line of kings.
In this mixed milieux, we first see Lady Macbeth (Julanne Chidi Hill) in a white satin gown holding a baby in her arms that soon vanishes as she is comforted by her husband (Kamal Bolden), making explicit in a sad yet tender way a reference in the play that she may have had a child.
But Macbeth soon has other things on his mind as he and Banquo (Michael Boatman) hear three “weird sisters” (Mildred Marie Langford, Joy DeMichelle and Roshni Shukla) incanting how the former will be named Thane of Cawdor, a high rank, and eventually become king of Scotland. Meanwhile Banquo’s sons will become the future kings of Scotland, they prophecy.
Sure enough, soon after a battle, Macbeth is conferred the title of thane by King Duncan (Alex Morris), who also tells Macbeth he will come stay with at the Macbeth’s castle for a night with his entourage.
Well, you can imagine how thrilled Lady Macbeth when her husband returns to tell her of his promotion. Not only that, she can imagine how easy it would be for Macbeth to become king if something unfortunate were to happen to Duncan while he stays overnight with them.
And so begins the Macbeths’ considerable scheming and plotting — and murdering — to attain and keep their power. But this is no slasher story, and that’s what makes it great. It’s a human story.
Like us, the Macbeths want to get ahead and secure what they’ve earned. And like us, they are willing to buy into sketchy promises that they somehow deserve their status. And that others — including friend Banquo and his young son Fleance (Noemi Avalos), whom Macbeth orders killed — don’t deserve it.
It helps that the three witches’ prophecies are made very convincing by the staging and acting. Lighting by Andrew Schmedake and sound by Jeff Gardner, with music composed by Dontae Winslow, ensure an eerie atmosphere, and dance choreography by Indira Tyler has the sisters whirling and stomping in earthy, primal ways as they cook up strange concoctions and allow their bodies to be possessed by prophesying spirits.
And like all humans, the Macbeths’ selfish deeds catch up with them not from the outside but from within — Lady Macbeth walks and talks in her sleep, trying to get rid of the “damned spot” of blood on her hands that she just can’t seem to wash away. Macbeth himself sees ghosts and becomes deluded by the prophecies into murdering even children, believing he cannot be killed by anyone born of a woman.
All the actors immerse themselves in their roles, including a believable Bolden in the title role, though Chidi Hill stands out for bringing a regal warmth and humanity to her Lady Macbeth, even as she is greedy and calculating.
Boldly directed by Andi Chapman, this production of “Macbeth” creates a mood as sultry and dark as a Louisiana bayou and cold and harsh as the Scottish moors — a haunting place well worth visiting.
“Macbeth” continues through March 9 at A Noise Within, 3352 E. Foothill Blvd., Pasadena, with performances Thursdays and Fridays at 7:30 p.m., Saturdays at 2 p.m. and 7:30 p.m., and Sundays at 2 p.m. For tickets and information, call (626) 356-3100 or visit anoisewithin.org. Run time is 2 hour and 20 minutes, including intermission.