Macbeth (Frog & Peach Theatre Company)

See it if You know someone in the show and want to support them. Don't see it if you love Macbeth, don't see it if you're new to Shakespeare. A mess.

Don't see it if No nuance to the characters or words. Boring staging and production. Cringe-worthy delivery. The best actors weren't in the top roles.

See it if you know someone in the cast.

Don't see it if you want to understand Shakespeare's gorgeous language or be impacted by this very intense drama.

Also Considering that this company was founded by life-long Actors Studio members, and that this production was directed by one of those founders, I expected so much more. I must say, it's rare to see poor performances in NYC, even in the tiniest venues, so given the pedigree of this company, the uneveness of the cast was especially surprising. Very few of the performers were able to make Shakespeare not only intelligible, but impactful. Even the strongest performers, which included Gertrude and MacDuff, just couldn't deliver the poetry, and Macbeth was one of the weakest in the cast, sometimes mugging in ways that drew unintentional laughs. I did like the staging.... Read more Read less

See it if A few sparks of emotion showed through plodding Shakespeare. Needs tighter direction.

Don't see it if Very basic production. No set. Some costumes and swords.

See it if you know Macbeth well so can pick out the subtle nuances of the better performances within this soup or know it not and just want exposure.

Don't see it if You are put off by various abilities to wrap one's tongue around Shakespeare. If you want any subtly or arc for Lady Macbeth. She GOES mad.

Also I've seen quite a few MacBeth in the past few years, this is far from the worst (Ethan Hawke?). Having seen The Liar the day before, the music of iambic pentameter was singing in my ear. The Porter was truly perfect, he brought a centering to the stage, and that pleasure made much of what was previously passable feel jarringly wrong. He was less successful as Hecate but still a standout.... Read more Read less

See it if You're up for a quick-paced, well acted, earnest & committed if ultimately flat Macbeth whose Method approach sadly morphs into melodrama.

Don't see it if You're expecting an inspired or revelatory production, or the clearest language or poetry. Voices & deliveries generally fine, but.

Also While this Frog & Peach production is a serious & sincere attempt, it suffers from its own earnestness, often falling into the traps often set by militaristic period dramas. A pseudo-macho hail-fellow-well-met quality is there from the opening scenes, with much running & sword play. Unfortunately, the careful stage fights, so obviously choreographed, lack any sense of spontaneity, conviction or thus threat.

Though the company strives for clarity of language & mostly succeeds, with some striking exceptions, there's little music in the poetry, despite several fine voices. The result is not so much dialogue, rather speeches that hang in the air.

Banquo comes closest in tone & delivery, but Malcolm's fine baritone just overacts, as do the witches in their thankless choreography. Lady Macbeth is striking, & fine but for trying a bit too hard; but a lack of chemistry with her Macbeth undercuts the whole & belies his ambition or her control & influence over him.

All in all, good try.... Read more Read less

See it if You are primarily focused on Lady Macbeth, as she and the porter, are the most effective actors.

Don't see it if Generally, not recommended. Uneven acting + lines without affect, ending with an incomprehensible dumb show of Macduff chasing the witches-?

Also I've seen better productions by this company - their King John was quite good. So I wouldn't give up on them completely.... Read more Read less

See it if You only want to check Macbeth off your list of Shakespeare plays you've seen and don't care about quality at all.

Don't see it if You would like to get some sense of why this is considered one of Shakespeare's greatest plays. You won't get it here.

See it if You like Shakespeare; you enjoy energetic performance; you want to see a masterpiece in a tiny theater

Don't see it if You want a single standard of performance - the caliber of acting (& type of direction) differed significantly; you want traditional staging

See it if you are a shakespeare fan; enjoy well acted play with the actors close to the audience

Don't see it if want to see a large performance; dont like the bard and his intricate language

See it if Someone help these actors w/their Shakespeare. Seemed like bunch of scene studies-v choppy-& no one could handle the emotion necessary

Don't see it if U'r bringing someone new to the Bard. They will think THEY dont understand, when blame is fully on the underwhelming handling & commitment~

See it if You want to support the cast/company

Don't see it if You are looking for great performances and production of Shakespeare

Also While Frog & Peach productions like to use the Shakespeare folio of the Old Globe style, it didn't work this time. The actors were uneven, and the delivery left something to be desired. The direction was confusing as well - what time period are we set in - costumes and set indicate one period, certain actions another - confusing. While I am all for non-traditional casting, the lead's Spanish accent and the French accent of another actor were sometimes disjointed to the action. Went to support a friend who actually came across quite strong in his part.... Read more Read less

See it if You want to watch Macbeth on stage. This version conveys the original meaning and general plot line.

Don't see it if You want to spend more money on a better and more comprehensive Macbeth.

Also This one is clearly a cheap production, so I don't want to demand more, since the actors are trying really hard. But, if people really want to see a Macbeth play, I won't recommend this one.... Read more Read less

See it if You want to see watered down version of Macbeth with American English and game of the throne costume

Don't see it if If you don't want to get bored with Macbeth

See it if You'd like to support the cast/company

Don't see it if Uneven performances bother you

See it if you enjoy a Shakespeare standard. I've never seen Macbeth, but I'm glad I saw this production.

Don't see it if You want true-to-the-original staging. One thing I'm enjoying about different Shakespeare productions is that each production is different.

See it if You want a traditional retelling of one of Shakespeare's darkest plays.

Don't see it if straightforward, no-frills Shakespeare bores you.

See it if You love Shakespeare and want to see each performance of all of his plays

Don't see it if You want consistent acting. Some of the actors seemed very nervous or manic. Some of them seemed to be playing to a larger venue.

See it if you like Shakespeare

Don't see it if you don't like Shakespeare

See it if no.

Don't see it if i only survived the 1st half

See it if You are interested in live theater and you are willing to see actors from a wider range of skill perform classic Shakespeare.

Don't see it if You are a Shakespeare snob. You don't have patience for anything other than Broadway. You require a cast that contains names.

See it if you want to support a friend involved in the show, if you want to experience a new theatre space, want to support a growing theatre company

Don't see it if you've never seen shakespeare before (you won't understand it...I'm a classical actor & I had trouble), you're looking for good acting

See it if You love Shakespeare and really want to see as many productions of his plays as possible.

Don't see it if You love Shakespeare and only want to see excellent productions of his plays, or if you've never been acquainted with Shakespeare.

Also This wasn't the worst show I've ever seen, but so much was left to be desired. There were too many instances where I couldn't understand what a character was saying because the actor was running through all of their beats with melodrama. Instead of allowing the text to be discovered in the moment as the characters underwent their arcs, too many of the speeches felt rehearsed and like the actors were layering on an idea of the emotion they thought their character should be feeling, instead of really experiencing it. The characters by no means earned the right to soliloquy. There were also mistimed sound cues and awkwardly long scene changes, and the music for the Weird Sisters felt like it was chosen because it was "funky" and "weird" instead of because it fit in the world of the play. The aesthetic of the set and costume design felt strange. Some of the actors playing different characters didn't distinguish each one enough, and a few had bad habits like swaying that were distracting.... Read more Read less

See it if You love Shakespeare. Enjoy ethnically diverse casting and an intimate setting.

Don't see it if You aren't familiar with Shakespearean verse, don't like lengthy shows (2hr20min run time) and don't like small black box productions.

See it if You love rough drafts of a project.

Don't see it if You are expecting polished Shakespeare.

Also I feel like this show was on its way to a good show but it seems as if a little more rehearsal time would have helped. Some of the text was difficult to comprehend and parts of it seemed rushed.... Read more Read less

See it if You enjoy Shakespeare master pieces, if you enjoy plays in an intimate theatre, the actors put a very profound performance.

Don't see it if You don't like plays and don't like Shakespeare because it might be a little hard to understand.