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<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:12pt"><b><span style="font-family:Palatino">“Voodoo Macbeth” misses its performance mark at
Ensemble</span></b><span style="font-family:Palatino"></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:12pt"><span style="font-family:Palatino">Roy Berko</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:12pt"><span style="font-size:10pt;font-family:Palatino">(Member, American Theatre Critics
Association, Cleveland Critics Circle)</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:12pt"><span style="font-family:Palatino">During the great depression of the 1930s the U.
S. government attempted to stir up the economy by creating various works
projects.<span style> </span>One of the organizations
developed was the Federal Theatre Project.<span style> </span>It hired directors, actors and technicians to produce theatrical
productions that charged low to no-cost for admission.<span style> </span>Many of these were new scripts, and
employed out-of-work and emerging artists to participate in the shows.<span style> </span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:12pt"><span style="font-family:Palatino">Popular theatrical names that emerged from the
FTP included Arthur Miller, John Houseman and Elia Kazan.<span style> </span>Also emerging was a young Orson Welles,
whose “Voodoo Macbeth” is considered one of the movements most important
works.<span style> </span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:12pt"><span style="font-family:Palatino">Wells’ script and production was part of a FTP’s
African American Project, which had a unit in Cleveland.<span style> </span>AAP provided entry paths into the
theatre for black actors and stagehands, and attempted to raise community pride
among blacks for not only creating contemporary works, but classics.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:12pt"><span style="font-family:Palatino">In 1936, Wells used an all black cast to
transfer Shakespeare’s “Macbeth,” from medieval Scotland to a fictional
Caribbean island, probably Haiti, noted for its witchcraft and voodoo-believing
population.<span style> </span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:12pt"><span style="font-family:Palatino">The show was not only a box-office sensation,
but is regarded as a classic due to its innovative interpretation.<span style> </span>It secured for Wells, at age 20, an
early place on the list of theatrical geniuses.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:12pt"><span style="font-family:Palatino">The exchanging of Scotland for Haiti was accomplished
by making the “bubble, bubble, toil and trouble witches” into voodoo conjurers
and changing the queen of the witches into a bullwhip-snapping medicine doctor.<span style> </span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:12pt"><span style="font-family:Palatino">Much of the Shakespearean cast appears in
Wells’<span style> </span>play.<span style> </span>Macbeth, commits murder to become king
and fulfill his wife’s ambition for power.<span style> </span>There is Lady MacBeth, who has blood on her hands that she
can’t wash off.<span style> </span>There is the rest
of the royal extended family who get killed or eventually become the new
royalty.<span style> </span>The play retains its reputation
as the tragedy of tragedies! </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:12pt"><span style="font-family:Palatino">Wells’ production became a sensation not only
due to the creative script, but due to the quality of the performances.<span style> </span>It takes amazing actors to develop the
complex roles of “Voodoo MacBeth.”<span style>
</span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:12pt"><span style="font-family:Palatino">Unfortunately, except for Carly Germany, who
portrays Lady Macbeth, the cast tries hard, but isn’t completely capable of
conveying the depth of Shakespeare’s characterizations.<span style> </span>It’s not totally their fault.<span style> </span>The material is just too deep and
taxing for less than the most skilled of actors to portray.<span style> </span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:12pt"><span style="font-family:Palatino">The Ensemble production has some performance
highlights besides Germany’s.<span style>
</span>Stephen D. Hood gets laughs as the Porter.<span style> </span>Kyle Carthens (Macduff) , Leonard Goff (Duncan), Robert
Hunter (Malcolm), Joseph Primes (Hecate) and Jimmie Woody (Macbeth) have some
good moments.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:12pt"><span style="font-family:Palatino">Some of the “voodoo” elements are missing due to
the lack of Caribbean sing-song accents, and confusing costuming and makeup.<span style> </span>Some of the projections, a technique which
Ensemble has adopted as their main means of scenery in most of their recent
productions, also is island inconsistent and sometimes size-overwhelming. </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:12pt"><i><span style="font-family:Palatino">Capsule judgment:<span style> </span>“Voodoo Macbeth,” a production of Ensemble Theatre in
collaboration with The Cleveland Shakespeare Festival is an ambitious project
of a historically important theatrical script.<span style> </span>The play requires a level of acting that is beyond the
training and talent of most of<span style> </span>the
cast, thus the experience is less than it could have been. <span style> </span></span></i><span style="font-family:Palatino"></span></p>
<p class=""><span style="font-family:Palatino">“Voodoo Macbeth”</span><span style="font-family:Palatino"> runs Thursday, Fridays and Saturdays (8 PM) and Sundays
(2 PM) through June 8, 2014, at Ensemble Theatre, housed in the Coventry
Building, 2843 Washington Blvd, Cleveland Heights.<span style> </span>For tickets call 216-321-2930 or go online to <a href="http://www.ensemble-theatre.org">http://www.ensemble-theatre.org</a></span></p>
<p class=""><span style="font-family:Palatino"> </span></p>
<p class=""><span style="font-family:Palatino">To read the
views of other Cleveland area theatre reviewers go to:<span style> </span><a href="http://www.clevelandtheaterreviews.com">clevelandtheaterreviews.com</a></span></p>
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