Spin and Swear

On Tuesday I'm taking the children to see Macbeth in Stratford.

So far I've heard mixed things. By mixed I mean bad.

The Star reviewed Colm Feore's performance and gave it a big "meh".

This review is more positive, but I fear I may be siding with The Star. I really didn't like the artistic director's (Des McAnuff) take on Romeo and Juliet when I saw it last spring. He doesn't seem to "get" the plays in my opinion, although to hear him talk with Feore about Macbeth on Youtube, one might imagine this would be a great performance. Somehow on stage it just all falls apart.

I agree with the author of The Star article that McAnuff, at least in the R&J, focuses too much on beating the audience over the head with the idea that Shakespeare's works can be modern and relevant. um, duh.

So now I don't know what to expect on Tuesday. I know the kids will love it because it's apparently filled with pyrotechnics and the set looks like "Ikea goes to war." It's for these very reasons that I might hate it. I could be wrong though. It's happened before. And really it's all about the children anyway right? Right?

I'll report back on Wednesday about the outcome. Hopefully the thatre doesn't get hit by lightning like it did the last time Macbeth played there.