Macbeth (A Noise Within 2025 Production) Theatre Review

production photo by Craig Schwartz

It has been suggested that the strongest marriage partnership in all of Shakespeare’s work is that of Macbeth and Lady Macbeth, and the new production of the play at A Noise Within does take steps to show the strength of that relationship, and the love between the two, as well as the heartache. And that is one of the strengths of this production, which opened last night. It is directed by Andi Chapman and features Kamal Bolden and Julanne Chidi Hill as Macbeth and Lady Macbeth respectively, leading a remarkable cast. It can be risky to set a Shakespeare play in a different time and place, perhaps especially one referred to most often as “the Scottish play,” but this production sets the action in New Orleans in the early twentieth century, as the program notes, “A time of rich cultural diversity and social exchange.” But don’t let that worry you too much. The text has not been changed, so it does still take place in Scotland, but with that New Orleans flavor, which is felt in some of the movement as well as the music used and the presence of Spanish moss hanging above the audience on both sides of the stage.

A single chair is placed just stage left of center, with a blue cloth draped over the back. As the audience enters the theater, Lady Macbeth takes that seat and arranges the blue cloth as if it holds a baby, which she cradles in her arms. If you’ve read or seen Macbeth, you’ve doubtless wondered about the child that Lady Macbeth alludes to in the lines, “I have given suck, and know/How tender ‘tis to love the babe that milks me.” With this production, those lines are in our minds from the moment we are seated. Some folks still managed to carry on their conversations, but more were focused on this woman, drawn to her silent performance before the actual full performance began. It was a gently powerful way to start, and when Macbeth enters behind her, she is in tears. He offers her comfort. And there is a beautiful moment when she sets the babe free, and the blue cloth flies up like an angel. Several people in the audience gasped, so striking and unexpected was that image. What a way to start the performance and to show us something of their relationship. When Lady Macbeth exists, Macbeth is then outfitted for battle, and we see a change in him, in his demeanor, in his stance. Macbeth is different when he is with his wife.

The first time the witches, or weird sisters (Mildred Marie Langford, Joy DeMichelle, Roshni Shukla), appear, they are dressed in black hooded cloaks, giving them a certain air of mystery. The battle scene that follows still holds a sense of the strange, as in those moments when things slow and the lights change. There is a sense of some other power at work, and perhaps it belongs at least partially to us in the audience who are perceiving the action. When next the weird sisters appear, they are no longer in black cloaks and, at least for a moment, seem almost normal, almost ordinary. Interestingly, it is after the line “Macbeth doth come” that they take on a more mystical demeanor. And we wonder if it is in reaction to his presence, or a performance they do for his benefit. And thus we consider these women a little more closely than usual. Banquo (Michael Boatman) has a lighter disposition, a pleasant, easygoing cheer. His reaction is in some contrast to Macbeth’s, regarding the sisters. It isn’t until Macbeth is declared Thane of Cawdor that he really takes them seriously, glancing at the spot where they had been. Macbeth reacts with a different sort of surprise at hearing Malcolm (Randolph Thompson) proclaimed heir to the throne, and it is interesting how quickly he has taken to heart the sisters’ words. Malcolm is the last to exit at the end of that scene, pausing for a moment as the weight of that pronouncement strikes him. In that brief moment, we sense that he will take his responsibilities seriously, that he will be a good ruler. He gets that much across with just his expression.

As Lady Macbeth reads the letter from her husband, we at first hear Macbeth’s voice. Then she joins her voice with his, and eventually his fades out. That’s another interesting way of showing their relationship, and perhaps it hints at what is to come. For at first he seems to be the dominant voice, but she will soon steer the course of things. Also, we get the sense in this production that he wishes to give her good news, to offer her some source of cheer. On “Come, you spirits,” she speaks outward as if she might see those spirits. And she is ready to command them; and if them, then it seems she will have no trouble bending her husband to her will. After Macbeth enters, her line “Thy letters have transported me” seems to indicate also the idea that she has a renewed energy, a new life to her, precisely what Macbeth had hoped. Her new energy is also heard in the line “Leave all the rest to me.”

When Duncan (Alex Morris, who was hilarious in 2023’s production of The Book Of Will), Banquo and the others arrive, they are now dressed in formal, official attire. The costume designer for this production is Wendell C. Carmichael. There is an interesting moment when Duncan removes his crown and hands it to Lady Macbeth, I suppose as a way of indicating that he is not taking over her home but is a guest. One of the scenes when the New Orleans flavor is particularly notable is when Macbeth delivers his “If it were done” speech, for as he enters through one of the upstage doors we hear snatches of jazz coming from what is clearly a lively dinner among the guests. When Macbeth tells Lady Macbeth that they will not proceed with their plan, she becomes upset, and we sense that is due, at least in part, to a fear that this renewed life she now feels will come to a halt. Again, that opening moment really informs and colors much of what we in the audience experience throughout the performance. We wonder if without this plan, she fears she’ll revert back to sadness, that this plan is keeping her focused on something other than her earlier misery. Macbeth again goes to comfort her when she delivers her lines about dashing the brains out, but this time she won’t allow him, stepping back from his intended embrace. It’s a striking moment. But their relationship is strong, and on Macbeth’s “False face must hide what the false heart doth know,” they clasp hands.

There is an interesting moment at the end of the scene with Macbeth, Banquo and Fleance (Noemi Avalos), where Banquo and Fleance start to leave, but Fleance runs back to give Macbeth a hug. This shows that there was a strong friendship between Macbeth and Banquo, strong enough that Banquo’s son was familiar and comfortable with Macbeth. And of course it makes the depths that Macbeth is to fall even greater. When Macbeth goes about his task, the elements themselves react, or perhaps take part, with lightning, thunder and eerie sounds filling the space. Macbeth is captivating on the “sleep no more” speech. Lady Macbeth leads him off, showing that she is now the stronger of the two. The Porter enters from a door below the ramp in center stage, as if coming from the very “hell-gate” that he mentions in his speech, and carries a trumpet. When Macduff (Ben Cain) enters, Lady Macduff (Mildred Marie Langford) is with him, carrying a baby, something that is not in the text, but which gives the audience a chance to see them together. Because Donalbain is cut from this production, Malcolm delivers his speech about leaving for England to the audience, and his “Let’s not consort with them” becomes “I’ll not consort with them.” The Old Man is also cut, and the Porter takes his lines about Duncan’s horses eating each other.

Macbeth’s lines about a “fruitless crown” and “barren scepter” carry more weight, and more pain, in this production because of that opening moment. When Macbeth says, “It is concluded,” we feel that he means not just the trouble about Banquo, but the entire business, that he believes this will be the end of the bloodshed and he can return to the person he was. We know he’s wrong, but strangely we feel for him and wish this could be an end to his unrest. In every production of Macbeth, an answer must be found for the question of the third murderer. Here something unusual and interesting is done. The third murderer seems to be one of the witches, and not only lets Fleance escape, but even aids him. It’s interesting, because we are left with the thought that the witches might be helping their own prophecy come true, which actually removes a bit of the supernatural aspect from the events. Yet right after that, the three witches stand around Banquo until he rises as if bidden by them, an incredible image. Also interesting is how this production handles the ghost of Banquo. Some productions have him physically present, while others have him as merely within Macbeth’s mind. This production does both. When the ghost of Banquo first enters, he does so with purpose and moves straight down to the table, but does not sit. In fact, he ends up standing on the table. So Lady Macbeth’s “You look but upon a stool” doesn’t quite work. But the next time the ghost enters, it is seen only by Macbeth, not the audience. Once the others have left, Macbeth sits on the bench, and Lady Macbeth sits next to him. At first the two are facing away from each other, but soon they are as one again, and Lady Macbeth wraps her hands around his arm. Even this episode is not enough to tear these two apart. And again, we feel for them.

Another of this production’s great strengths, as you’ve probably picked up by now, is the way the weird sisters are presented. That is especially the case in the “Double, double, toil and trouble” scene. A circle of light surrounds the cauldron, and percussion off stage helps give their action the feel of a dance. When Macbeth rushes in, the percussion continues, so it is like he enters their dance. It isn’t until he enters the circle that the drumming stops, for now he has taken some charge of the scene. Macbeth drinks from the cauldron, and it is perhaps that which aids in his visions. The apparitions are done as voices, seeming to take possession of the three weird sisters and drain them of energy. It’s a wild and exciting way of presenting this scene. The witches exit before Macbeth sees the parade of kings, which seems to be all around him. This is an incredibly powerful scene, and it is followed by another. Lady Macduff’s child is female in this production, and Ross (Ned Mochel) delivers his “pretty cousin” to her, giving the girl a kiss before leaving. Mochel is particularly good here, and then Mildred Marie Langford is fantastic when the men arrive to murder her family. She fights back, which is great. It is not an easy scene.

Much of the scene between Macduff and Malcolm is cut, that whole section where Malcolm tests Macduff to make sure he has not been sent by Macbeth. It is a strange cut, but it does keep things moving, for now the pace of events picks up and will not slacken until the end. On Macduff’s “All my pretty ones? Did you say all,” he grabs Ross, a nice moment. This production sets this scene inside a church, so Macduff’s “Did heaven look on,/And would not take their part?” is a question to his god as well as to Malcolm and Ross. Julanne Chidi Hill does an incredible job in the sleepwalking scene, which has a haunting vibe in this production. Another thing that is interesting is that we in the audience feel for the poor doctor, who first witnesses the queen in such a state and then the king soon afterward. In his expression we see the troubled aspect of the country. When Macbeth asks him, “Canst thou not minister to a mind diseas’d?” we get the feeling he might mean himself as well as his wife, which is great. Is he then aware of his own disease, his own failing? The fight between Macbeth and Macduff is handled really well, and is not quick. Macbeth’s “Lay on, Macduff” line is actually delivered after Macduff has dealt the killing strike, which is fascinating. This production does not bother with a severed head prop, instead letting the crown itself suffice, itself holding the promise of a better tomorrow.

This production of Macbeth runs through March 9, 2025. Visit the theatre’s website for the complete schedule. There is one intermission, which comes at the end of Act III Scene iii. A Noise Within is located at 3352 E. Foothill Blvd. in Pasadena, California. Free parking is located at the Sierra Madre Villa Metro Parking Structure.