Envy. Greed. Jealousy. Fear. Alongside complicated dialogue and unparalleled drama, Shakespeare built his timeless stories upon those elements of human nature best kept hidden.

To successfully perform one of Shakespeare’s masterpieces, a theater must fulfill a number of essential requirements. The timing must be exact, the characters well-developed and the stage visually captivating. Above all, the production must strike a balance between adapting the work for modern audiences while maintaining Shakespeare’s original intention – confusing vocabulary and all. Indeed, successfully translating Shakespeare’s work to today’s ADHD-prone audience is not a simple task…unless you’re the Guthrie. In that case, it looks downright elementary.

Aesthetically pleasing and meticulously thought out, director Joe Dowling and the Guthrie’s production team seamlessly combine the original elements of Macbeth with a modern twist. Staged in a setting reminiscent of World War II, the props, costumes and color palate chosen for the show transform the Wurtle Thrust stage into a dismal world that mirrors the story’s core message: “Unnatural deeds breed unnatural troubles.”

From the time Macbeth receives a prophesy about his life from the Weird Sisters (played with intense precision by Guthrie regulars Barbara Bryne, Isabell Monk O’Connor and Suzanne Warmanen), death and destruction follow in his wake. Urged by his power-hungry wife Lady Macbeth (Michelle O’Neill), King Duncan (Raye Birk) is Macbeth’s first victim, setting the witches’ prediction into action. To solidify his destiny, Macbeth continues to kill anyone in his way, even his best friend, Banquo. In a stunning performance by Bill McCallum, it is Banquo’s murder that most haunts Macbeth and drives him into madness. In perhaps the most powerful scene of the night, the ghost of Banquo appears to Macbeth amidst a dinner party, exposing the bloody deeds of the new king and sending chills throughout the audience.

The plot moves along at a steady gallop and drips with symbolism; everything from the colors of Lady Macbeth’s clothing – a crimson cocktail dress worn the night of the king’s murder – to Macbeth’s unfortunate final resting place infuse the performance with added depth. The shortest of Shakespeare’s works, the Guthrie has chosen to perform Macbeth (their 50th Shakespeare production) sans intermission.

Even though Shakespeare wrote the drama in the early 15th century, Macbeth’s message resonates as loudly today as it did then. The unfortunate universal truths of human nature have not changed since Shakespeare put his quill to the parchment 400 years ago, and Dowling’s interpretation of Macbeth speaks to those realities with flair, power and vivid clarity.

Friday, February 5 - Saturday, April 3
$24 - 60

Guthrie Theater
818 2nd St. S., Mpls.