After imbibing a few Landsharks the other night, I decided it was high time to see a live show again. My email solicitations included a suggestion for Disney's Aladdin playing in Tampa but I thought that too expensive at over $80 for decent seats. After a few more drinks, I whole hog decided to quickly buy a seat in the Goldman Theater of the Orlando Shakes complex for a performance of Macbeth.
I woke yesterday morning and found the printed out ticket, indicating the $62 price and I immediately groaned. "What Hath I Done?" I thought in Shakespearean lingo which would turn out to be quite auspicious to the plot of this play.
So I drove up to Orlando, white-knuckling it from the beginning of the entrance to I4 on due to Disney traffic and the never-ending highway construction, blended with the expected Friday evening rush hour. Three hours later I arrived.
Turns out, preview performances aside, this was Opening Night and they had a nice little Meet the Producers info sesh in one of the small theaters which was just wrapping up as I arrived around 7:15. It was free for attendees and included some light appetizers. Shit, I wish I'd read about this when booking since I ate a couple of lousy Taco Bell tacos and sipped only two sips of a very nasty Diet Pepsi (tasted bad...how can Diet Pepsi go bad?) at a brief stop in Lake Wales on the journey up.
The small theater was packed. I think this was the one (out of about four or five in the complex) that I saw this production in. The Good: No bad seat in the house. Stage and actors were right there. The Bad: Bob Carr seats seem voluminous compared to these kiddie-sized things. But, amazingly, they weren't uncomfortable. Thankfully, my seat mates were small of stature allowing my massive bulk to spill over a tad. Sorry.
Minimalist setting and modernized costuming...but it worked for me. They did it well. Dialog: True Elizabethan Shakespearean. Holy shit! This was my first Shakespeare play other than watching less than 20 minutes at a pop of TV broadcast productions. With TV, you can say "NOPE" after a few minutes and change the channel...no harm, no foul. But I paid a pretty penny for this show...I was determined to see it through.
And you know what, it grew on me as time went on and I ended up actually liking it. Naturally a bit confused at the start, I eventually was able to figure it all out similar to the way some YouTube videos show someone trying to figure out what's going on on complex shows like Game of Thrones in like the last season despite never seeing it before.
Dude gets prophesy from some "weird sisters" about his eventual ascension to the throne and through he and his wicked wife's machinations, they make it happen. Yes, a bit o' regicide had to occur but, oh well. Then, the dude gets super paranoid about all manner of threats and starts offing friend and foe alike to save his corrupt ass. (How I was wishing some Trump mannerisms would poke through as a wicked meta reference) But, in the end, it all comes crushing down on him and justice is restored.
The actors were freakin' awesome. It's due to them I stayed when I was contemplating booking after the first act. Olde English-speak not withstanding, they portrayed the emotions of what they were saying in a way that was clear and concise. And not without a handful of humorous elements.
All one hundred and thirty of us (a small venue indeed) gave a standing ovation, of course. They freakin' deserved it. The actors playing Duncan and Macbeth were sweating and gasping so much (very physical and having to "project") I thought they'd have heart attacks!
Will I attend another Shakespearean performance? You know, I always thought that due to my high honors status in high school English, allowing me to take an unconventional route, I lucked out on not having to learn Shakespeare...but now I think I actually missed out. Yeah, I'll imbibe again.