Macbeth

The play, Macbeth, was written by William Shakespeare. The performance was held at the Museum of Art and performed by Orlando Shakespeare Festival. There were eight actors in the play and each one performed several roles. The actors consisted of Stephanie Roberts, Richard Width, Mandi Moss, Jonathan Croy, Scott Hodges, Jenna Ware, Eric Hissom, and Richard Watson.

My overall reaction to the play is that it was well put together and very well performed. I was very impressed. It was a small theater, which enabled the cast to use the entire theater for the play. Actors entered and exited through doors in the back. They also had sounds coming from all directions, which enabled the audience to feel as if we were in the middle of the action. The actors were excellent. I didn't notice any mistakes. The all impersonated their characters wonderfully.

I have read Macbeth and seen various movies on it, so I knew the plot, but I had never seen it as a live play. I wasn't sure if the play was going to be able to catch the full effect of the story. After seeing the play, I thought the play drew me much more into the story than any movie could. The actors, scenery, and sound effects really enhanced the intensity of the play.

There were good scenery and costumes. There were various props and special effects. For the witches, they used a sort of mask with hair and also smoke and sound effects to really bring out an eerie effect. They used simple customs, which I felt was effective. If the costumes were to elaborate, I think it would have taken away from the story itself. The sound effects came from all directions which made me feel like I was really there as everything was occurring. There was everything from lightening to footsteps, to fighting sounds. They used low lighting to help set the tone of the play. The used few props, but they were still able to effectively present the mood and the scenery of the story.

Everyone who worked there was courteous and personable. The management greeted everyone warmly. There were also many snacks and refreshments for everyone. There were also many things of interest to look at during intermission and before and after the play.

I can think of nothing I would change. I would not change the size of the theater. If it was a larger theater, I don't think the same effect could have been created.

This play had my attention from beginning to end. Which may be because I am a big fan of Shakespeare, I have been since high school. I watched Side by Side at the UCF Theater. There were some parts I really enjoyed, but the were some parts that I found boring. I also think the quality of the acting and the over all performance was superior in Macbeth. The plays also differed in that Side by Side was a musical and Macbeth was not.

In class, we had an entire chapter on the Shakespearean Era. Macbeth is one of Shakespeare's tragedies. We discussed his intense characters and excellent use of words which were both very evident in this play. We also discussed Shakespeare's use of soliloquies. In this play this was used. We also talked about his unique and varying style. Shakespeare's plays are like that of none other.

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