Theatre Review: Macbeth

Pre-Theatre Meal: Minca Ramen Factory
Accompanied by: Mike

A small production set in the Church of St. Teresa in the Lower East Side which was totally unique and special. Entering the church I assumed it was Episcopalian or Presbyterian because it looked traditional, but I didn't think for a second a Catholic Church would allow a theatre production in it. However, then I noticed the Stations of the Cross and the telltale light in front of the tabernacle and realized that it was indeed Catholic. Pretty darned cool. We knew of this production because of Careena Melia who originated the role of Hecate in Sleep No More and who was a stunning Lady Macbeth in this production. The acting was fantastic and the way they used the space was really creative. It was so neat to see this production just a few weeks after seeing the production at the Lincoln Center to contrast the mega-production with this extremely intimate one. While they were both wonderful in their own right, we both enjoyed this one tremendously.

Theatre Review: No Man's Land

Playbill: No Man's Land

Pre-Theatre Meal: db Bistro Moderne

Accompanied By: Mike

I'm a big geek so when I heard legendary actors of stage & screen Ian McKellan & Patrick Stewart where going to be appearing together on Broadway, you better believe I snagged some Row C seats to see my beloved Gandalf and Picard up close. I almost choked while waiting for the show to start and the elderly couple next to me said "Well I don't know who this Stewart fellow is, but we saw this other guy in another play and thought he over-acted". 

I had a traumatic experience reading "Waiting for Godot" in high school (it made me nauseous to read and my English teacher couldn't explain what the point of reading it was to save her life besides for the fact that it was on the curriculum). In light of that, I chose "No Man's Land" which I knew nothing about. While also very abstract, I didn't care because McKellan & Stewart were an absolute delight. I should also mention that Billy Crudup & Shuler Hensley were fantastic. That said, I'm not sure I would really enjoy this play if I wasn't there for the actors, I hate walking out not knowing what it all meant, although it does make for some interesting post-show discussion.

Theatre Review: Macbeth

Pre-Theatre Meal: Nougatine
Accompanied by: Mike

The set was dark, minimalist and mostly focused on a medieval mandala (a seal comprising of pentagrams within circles). The costuming was similar dark, muted, and minimal, but also somewhat futuristic. The 3 Witches and Hecate were played by old men, which was interesting, but also felt like it was just done to be interesting. Macbeth was played by Ethan Hawke, who played him in a very subdued manner which was definitely a choice, but I never figured out what he was going for other than "broody". This was Mike's first time seeing a show at Lincoln Center and it was great to get to experience such a large scale production at the pinnacle of the world's theatre.