A chilling 'Macbeth' untethered in time

When and where did Macbeth take place? You wouldn't know from seeing Commonwealth Classic Theatre Company's design-confused albeit chillingly staged production of Shakespeare's tragedy.

Sure, many directors have transported Shakespeare's works from their original settings. But at CTCC, the chessboard floor (it's about kings and queens, I get it), surrounded by what looks like sheaves of wheat combine with a collection of mixed-period military attire to distract from the action on stage.

And there's plenty of action. The Rhodesian mercenary-style costumes sported by Banquo (John Jezior) and Macbeth (Charlie DelMarcelle) justify multiple gun battles and a thrilling machete fight (engineered by Ian Rose) that ends Act II.

But why are Scottish lords carrying machetes? And which order of hired hit men wears video-game keffiyeh that fit within the same historical era as the contemporary evening dresses worn by Lady Macbeth (Trice Baldwin)?

I mention these design aberrations only because director Joshua Browns otherwise gets many things right. Like Julius Caesar, a coup d'etat cleaves Macbeth in two. Yet Browns' direction, and strong performances from a brooding DelMarcelle and Sean Close (as Malcolm), stitch the two halves together thematically into a contemporary portrayal of tyrannical evil.

John Kolbinski's eerie sound design distorts the pre-recorded voices of the three witches as they appear mute, and Browns' choice to double Baldwin as one of the three witches, with all of them wearing the same gowns as Lady Macbeth - the one costume choice Rosemarie McKelvey gets right - threads a sense of malice into all their actions.

This Macbeth plays as a psychological horror on the lines of Alfred Hitchcock, a subtle, frightening brutality mixed with scheming at the level of base human nature.

Kristen Egermeier, Adam Altman, and Isa St. Clair flesh out many of the remaining roles, making this cast of nine seem like the collection of warring clans Shakespeare intended. Without their efforts, I would have missed the modern relevance and wondered why CCTC didn't just hire a dialect coach and set this play in Scotland 700 years ago.

Through Aug. 25 at the URBN Annex Black Box Theater, 3401 Filbert St. Tickets: $12.50 to $15. Information: 610-202-7878 or www.commonwealthclassictheatre.org.

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