Till Birnam Wood... (FringeNYC) NYC Reviews and Tickets
About the Show
Part of FringeNYC: Encounter the witches, slip on your blindfold, and fall into the darkness of Macbeth's Scotland. Till Birnam Wood...is an immersive, sensory experience of Shakespeare's darkest work, literally. Audience members experience this fast-paced and intense production completely blindfolded.
Read more Show lessShow-Score Member Reviews (20)
See it if Fans of Shakespeare. Open to a new theatrical experience
Don't see it if Afraid of the dark. Need to see, not just hear.
See it if You're open to new sensory experiences, like Macbeth, want an interesting experience
Don't see it if you get scared or overwhelmed by sensory input easily, if you know nothing about Macbeth
See it if you are interested in the creation of soundscape / interested in re-staging of a Shakespeare work
Don't see it if can't follow the Shakespeare language
See it if You want to experience a truly unique and fantastic show. Absolutely entrancing!
Don't see it if If you're looking for something lighthearted...I mean COME ON, this is Macbeth we're talking about!
See it if You are familiar with Macbeth & enjoy inventive theatre. I honestly do not understand how anyone who's into Shakespeare could not love it
Don't see it if You are uncomfortable being blindfolded. Seriously though, this needs to be remounted somewhere.
See it if You like original productions of Shakespeare, are comfortable in the dark, are familiar with Macbeth.
Don't see it if You have problems wearing a blindfold, are hard of hearing, or don't like feeling spooked.
See it if you love Macbeth
Don't see it if you don't know Macbeth very well - since you're blindfolded you might get lost if you don't know the story.
See it if If you know Macbeth, or never heard of it.
Don't see it if edgy different experiences bother you. And of course if you're afraid of the dark.
Critic Reviews (7)
“A ‘blindfolded theatrical experience,’ and it’s hard to know exactly what director John Schultz sees in this concept...Our other senses are only fitfully engaged: There are sounds and a few piped-in smells (the Pinesol-scented air of the forest), but nothing by way of touch or taste. Although the text is delivered cleanly, especially by Ladies Macbeth and Macduff, those who don’t already know Shakespeare’s play extremely well may find this version confusing and a little dull.”
Read more
"No question Shakespeare's language dominates here, with all the hallucinatory power that is woven into the dramatic fabric of 'Macbeth.' And though you won't see the acting ensemble on stage (unless you peek), you will sense their presence and listen to their virtuosity…True, 'Till Birnam Wood' doesn't fully explore the nooks and crannies of the great tragedy. But Schultz does hammer home the notion that 'seeing' a play depends less on open eyes and more on an open mind."
Read more
“By no means a revolutionary new take on ‘Macbeth,’ it is a refreshing way to enjoy a piece considerably overdone in the last couple of years...Manages to control the somewhat frenzied movement of the story without any visual cues. By leaving so much of what we 'see' as an audience to the imagination, it in a way creates a very personalized production...Yet with a piece so dark and seemingly dangerous, he never challenges your sense of safety or comfort.”
Read more
"The formidable ensemble of eight is not confined to a traditional stage, but moves freely around the space and the audience...Schultz’s direction is acute, his design effective, and his concept impactful, as he and his cast demolish the fourth wall and thrust us into the midst of the tumultuous action. 'Till Birnam Wood' will equip you to appreciate the genius that is Shakespeare and to 'see' 'Macbeth' like you never have before."
Read more
"Experiencing 'Macbeth' blindfolded is not a gimmick – it's a rare and fascinating experience that made me reconsider the process of seeing a play…John Schultz's careful hour-long cutting unfolds through the nuanced voices of an impressive cast…When we're allowed to remove our blindfolds, the hour seems to have passed like a dream. If we didn't see it, did it happen? Yes, yes, it did. And it was wonderful."
Read more
"Blindly following the flow of the Elizabethan language issuing forth from a capable cast who know their craft. The malevolent ambition, murder, mysticism, mayhem and madness is clearly felt...The heart of this play beats in the emotional timbre of voices...and in small eerie silences that, without visual interference, loom seemingly large. Not seeing the play is an illuminating experience; it appears in the mind’s eye, like a sequential dream or nightmare."
Read more
"There’s plenty to listen to, besides the literally thundering sound design. The audience becomes the opposite of the sleepwalking Lady Macbeth, whose eyes stay open while their 'sense is shut'. Jennifer Summerfield plays Lady M. with chillingly distinct musicality and brutality, and Keith Conallen’s Macbeth cuts through the dark in every scene. The actors seem to fly off the stage as soon as our blindfolds are on, declaiming from every corner and often right in your ear."
Read more