Play On Shakespeare continues its residency at the Magic Theatre with a modern, highly unusual production of “Macbeth” in a new modern verse translation by Magdalia Cruz. As is usual with Play On Shakespeare, the translation is excellent. Even a Shakespearean expert will find little with which to quibble. There may be the occasional loss of melody or poetic beauty in the interest of clarity, but for the most part Magdalia Cruz’s translation does not call attention to itself, and fans of the play may not even notice they are not hearing pure Shakespeare.
The cross-gender casting of Catherine Castellanos as Macbeth presents no problem. Castellanos is a marvelous actor, fully capable of playing a male character. Her gender seems entirely irrelevant. Unless one objected to all cross-gender casting in principle, there is no problem here. Likewise for the unusual casting of other parts.
The story is presented with clarity, at breakneck speed, as it should be. The poetry is given its due. The updated setting and modern costumes work well.
Overall, this is a satisfying and entertaining rendition of “Macbeth.”
So what could go wrong?
There is something not quite right with this production, and it has to do with the decision to take a comic approach to the play, at least partially. This is shocking, but not unprecedented. A good argument could be made that “Macbeth” can be played as comedy, exaggerating the gore, playing the most extreme moments for laughs, aiming for shock value and the unexpected. Indeed, many productions of Shakespeare’s other extremely bloody play, “Titus Andronicus,” take exactly that approach. It is defensible.
The comedy is mostly in the hands of the redoubtable Danny Scheie, a much-loved and versatile comic performer, particularly adept at panto-style comedy, farce, and drag performances. His Brooklyn-accented drag Witch is hilarious, as is his version of the Porter, a character which suits him perfectly. He performs it like stand-up comedy, encouraging the audience to respond with a robust “Who’s there?” with each “Knock knock” that escapes his lips, and addressing audience members as though they were the characters he encounters while imagining he is portering the gates of Hell.
The problem is that the production never fully commits itself to comedy, and tries to have it both ways. It wants to capture all the horror and the poetry, and still play for laughs. The result is that it does not fully succeed in either direction.
For much of the evening, I was confused whether to laugh or be moved. It was great when the witches were played for laughs. That opening prepared me to expect a fully comic send-up of the play, a sort of “Macbeth Goes Wrong” approach. But then the next scenes were played with full dramatic bravura. The effect left me with emotional whiplash.
I had the impression that although the director and the cast were prepared to play the witches for laughs, they got cold feet when it came to some of the more serious scenes. How do you play Lady Macbeth’s sleepwalking speech and subsequent suicide for laughs? And what about the horrific scene where Macbeth’s henchmen break into Lady Macduff’s house and slaughter her child in front of her before killing the Lady? Can this be funny? Well, yes, it could, if the company were willing. In this case, although they set up the expectation, they were not willing when it came right down to it. I think that may have been the wrong choice.
Nevertheless, the overall effect is entertaining and interesting. The audience seemed to enjoy themselves. It is a good time.
Yet I left with the feeling that two opportunities had been missed: This production could have been played more traditionally, without the broad comedy, and been fully horrifying and satisfying. Or it could have been played full out for laughs, and been unforgettably hilarious.
What I experienced was like a delicious meal with great ingredients, but only half cooked. It did not exactly fail, but it did not quite come together.
‘Macbeth’ plays at the Magic Theatre through April 5, 2026. For further information click here.
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Rating: *** (For an explanation of TheatreStorm’s rating system, click here.)
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‘Macbeth’ by William Shakespeare. New verse translation by Magdalia Cruz. Produced by Magic Theatre in association with Play On, Shakespeare. Director: Liam Vincent. Technical Director: David Gardner. Scenic Design: Carlos Antonio Aceves. Costume Design: Alina Bokovikova. Lighting Design: Justin Partier. Dramaturg: Philippa Kelly. Sound Design: Matt Stines. Intimacy Coordinator: Jeuneé Simon.
Cast:
Macduff/Ensemble: Juan Amador. Macbeth: Catherine Castellanos. Banquo/Ensemble: Nora El Samahy. Young Ross: Ziyad Elsamahy Kaliski. Lady Macbeth: Sarah Nina Hayon. Lady Macduff/Ensemble: Kina Kantor. Fleance/Little Macduff: Isabella E. Lowry. Brian Rivera: Duncan/Ensemble. Danny Scheie Witch/Porter.
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