"Left me a little dazed...If sweat is coursing down your body while the air is steadily thickening, you are not in an optimal environment for theatergoing...The ritual of storytelling is built into the staging, with some remarkably lovely movement sequences. But 'Makbet' is vastly more interested in magic—the dark kind and the theatrical kind—than it is in the bloody struggle for the crown. So there is no weight to its tragedy. It becomes merely an experiment in form."
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“For me, the moment of revelation never arrived…The biggest problem, I think, is that, even with these technically skilled performers in charge, this production doesn't offer new insights that would justify its radically simplified approach…The necessary dramatic intensity is never achieved and the gypsy atmosphere comes to seem like an affectation; the best thing about ‘Makbet’ is its fast pace.”
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"A very fun and inventive staging...An ensemble of pretty incredible actors take turns spontaneously trading off parts at the drop of a hat...It would be difficult to see this telling of 'Macbeth' without a solid knowledge of the true Shakespearean play...Subtlety is not a word I would use for any of the scenes and performances...I was hoping for more levels and shades...In the end, the story unfolds dramatically, and we are engrossed (for the most part) in the telling of it."
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"The combination of childish playfulness and the ritualistic approach to theater makes 'Makbet' a one-of-a-kind immersive show...The location, lighting, and props might sound like a scrappy DIY theater, but are in fact scrupulously fitted elements...'Makbet' is not to be missed. The beauty of Dzieci’s production is that, seemingly without trying, it can satisfy the tastes of very diverse audiences...All kinds of folk will find something precious in this experience."
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"You haven’t seen 'Macbeth' until you’ve seen it presented by the Dzieci Theatre...It’s Shakespeare, all right, trimmed to two hours but with all the favorite passages retained. There’s a ritualistic aura about it, enhanced by frequent banging on the container sides and barely ceasing choral moaning and howling. You’ll have to decide how much of this you can take...The unexpected undertaking is an eye-popping-ear-poking confirmation that Shakespeare constructed something not easily degraded."
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“The performance itself is intimate and powerful. The actors’ trust in one another is palpable…While the performance is riveting, audiences who’ve had little exposure to ‘Macbeth’ may find the swapping of roles confusing. None of these things should dissuade audiences from seeing ‘Makbet,’ though. Dzieci’s staging of Shakespeare’s play is a truly unique and rewarding venture...Catch it while you can.”
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"The choice to have three actors play all the characters becomes in practice chaotic. Any viewer who is unfamiliar with 'Macbeth' will probably have no idea what is going on...Mitler’s pacing of the performance is also disjointed...Each scene moves slowly and at the same speed as before, losing the attention of the audience and the energy of the play...By the end of the performance, it feels like a miracle to be let out of the hot and stuffy theater container to breathe fresh air."
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"The elemental truth of the Scottish Play is brought forth in a profound, vivid, and completely unexpected way...The setting is more than a novelty, and reflects the company’s mission to authentically engage the community...The masterful use of space, movement, and diegetic music are not a replacement for engaging the poetry of Shakespeare, but rather in addition to...'Makbet' carries through the text’s slumps with the moment-to-moment intensity of the players."
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