fleetwood macbeth troubadour theatre company falcon theatre · fleetwood macbeth troubadour theatre...

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Fleetwood MacbethTroubadour Theatre CompanyFalcon TheatreReviewed by Lynne Bronstein

It’s summer and that meansthat the Troubadour TheatreCompany (“The Troubies” totheir fans and groupies) arehacking up Shakespeareagain. But the old boydoesn’t mind because thehacking is so funny it doesn’thurt. For possible reasons ofeconomy, the Troubies’offering this time around is“Fleetwood Macbeth,” arevival of a former spoof.Retooled with some verytopical references (SarahPalin, the 405 freewayclosure, CongressmanWiener’s Tweets), thisrendition of “the ScottishPlay” contains about onethird actual Shakespeare andtwo thirds slapstick,burlesque, and the music of amajor album rock band.

Banquo - Macbeth & the Witches

As usual, the whole shebang has been conceived and largelyimprovised under the direction of Matt Walker, who sings, dances,acts, does acrobatics (he went to Clown College!), and is socharismatic that he inevitably steals the show even when he takes asupporting role. Here, Walker essays the role of Banquo, Macbeth’sfriend who is killed by Macbeth due to the latter’s paranoia. Sure,

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he could have played the ambitious weasel Macbeth but hascourteously allowed Morgan Rusler to play him instead. Rusler iscertainly funny enough (and is able to show off his serious actingskills during the “Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow” speech)but somehow, Walker is hard to ignore, to the point that even afterBanquo kicks the bucket, Walker continues to make appearances(oh well, the character is supposed to appear as a ghost) and theaudience is glad for it.

“Macbeth” is known as “TheScottish Play” because thereis a superstition that sayingthe name of the show is badluck. This is explained in aprologue during which thecharacters are introduced(the Scots sport fake bigfeet, kilts, and atrociousScottish accents) andaudience members arerecruited to serve as footsoldiers who get killed in abattle with the Scots. Thenthe action of the play begins,sort of. Act One features alot of nonsense, a fewFleetwood Mac songs, andtidbits of Shakespearedialogue.

Lisa Valenzuela - Morgan Rusler

Like Monty Python, the Troubies enjoy pulling a joke out like taffy,prolonging its silliness. Not everyone believes in this humortechnique but somehow even when we know it is ridiculous, itcauses giggles. King Duncan of Scotland (Rob Nagle in white beardand false beer belly) speaks about how old he is which leads to aseries of “You are so old that….” jokes. They are old jokes but youcan’t help laughing at them. Likewise, when Macbeth begins to fearthe task of killing the king and says his famous line “Is that adagger that I see before me?” he actually says every word thatrhymes with dagger, while various Troubies prance across the stageimpersonating Mick Jagger, a lagger, someone with a swagger; youget the idea (this might be all about cueing actors who can’tremember their lines, LOL).

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Also, the Troubies haveimproved tremendously onShakespeare’s Three Witches.“Fleetwood Macbeth” has achorus line of nine witches!And eight of the nine aresexy foxy ladies in fishnetsand flimsy outfits. The ninth,Hecate (Beth Kennedy) lookslike your typical Halloweenwitch but she’s sexy too. TheWitches sing, dance andconjure, opening the showwith a defiant rendition of“Tusk” and providing nicebackground vocals on LadyMacbeth’s (Lisa Valenzuela)medley of “Dreams” and“Rhiannon.”

Matt Walker & Witches

Valenzuela, a Troubie regular, sings up a storm as Lady Macbethalthough her insidious prodding of her spouse is rather subtle hereand she seems just too cute to be a nasty nagging wife. Other castmembers who stand out include Evan Arnold as a warrior whosestupidity recalls Mortimer Snerd from the old radio days, and JasonTurner who not only plays Macduff but also Macduff Junior (youhave to see this scene to believe it). It seemed like there were too few musical numbers in the first actbut then again there is a lot of exposition to take care of in the firstact. Act Two is where you will hear familiar Fleetwood Mac songslike “Dreams,” “Gold Dust Woman,” and “Landslide.” Kudos to choreographers Nadine Ellis, Christine Lakin, and MonicaSchneider for their extraordinary work (Ken Merckx is listed as FightChoreographer) and to musical director Eric Heinly and his band forthe excellent musicianship. “Fleetwood Macbeth” plays at the Falcon Theatre, 4252 RiversideDrive, Burbank, 818.955.8181, through August 14, 2011 Fridaysand Saturdays at 8 p.m., Saturdays and Sundays at 4 p.m. But onJuly 15 through 17, when the 405 be closed, “Fleetwood Macbeth”doth come to La Mirada instead (see www.troubie.com ).

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Photos: Chelsea Sutton