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The Spot Presents Unusual Take on ‘Macbeth’
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Tuesday, July 18, 2017
 

BY KAREN BOSSICK

Take “Macbeth’s” Scottish tragedy. Add it to the rollicking comedy of “The Winter’s Tale.”

And you have the 2017 Sun Valley Shakespeare Festival.

The Spot and nexStage Theatre are joining actors and directors to present this year’s festival.

It will launch on Thursday, July 20, with “Macbeth” indoors at The Spot theatre in Ketchum. Then “The Winter’s Tale” will join in on Wednesday, July 26 outdoors in Ketchum’s Forest Service Park.

Plays will run in repertory with the final performance of “The Winter’s Tale” on Aug. 5. Those who purchase tickets to both plays save $10.

“MACBETH”

Prepare to move in The Spot’s unusual version of Shakespeare’s shortest—and bloodiest—tragedy.

This adaptation of the play about the physical and psychological effects of being on a power kick asks the audience to move along with the actors from scene to scene as witches, ghosts and murderers lurk on all sides.

The play revolves around a Scottish general named Macbeth who takes matter into his own hands and murders King Duncan after witches prophesize that he will one day become King of Scotland. Wracked by guilt and paranoia, he becomes a tyrannical ruler who slaughters innocents to protect himself from enmity.

And he and his power-hungry wife Lady Macbeth go mad in the process.

“It’s a cautionary tale,” said Natalie Battistone, who is directing the play. “It revolves around a character who is given opportunity upon opportunity to make different choices and doesn’t.

“We at The Spot like plays where the character does something unimaginable because we’re always trying to figure: How do they get to that point?” she added. “And we like the opportunity to humanize archetypes. We show how scared Macbeth is. And that shows that he’s human.”

Brett Moellenberg will play Macbeth and Yanna Lantz will play Lady Macbeth, who engineers her husband’s power grab.

Peter Burke will play Macduff and Natalie Battistone, Banquo. And Kevin Wade will play the witches in a manner, amalgamating them into one, that allowed the troupe to condense the play to 88 minutes.

The play opens Thursday, July 20, and runs through Sunday, July 23 at The Spot, 220 Lewis St., in Ketchum’s light industrial district. It resumes Thursday and Friday, July 27-28.

Showtime is 8 p.m. each night.

Tickets are $10 for students and $20 for adults, available at www.spotsunvalley.com. Or, save by purchasing tickets to both “Macbeth” and “The Winter’s Tale” for $15 and $30.

“Macbeth” is suitable for youngsters 10 and older, due to some violence and scary sequences.

“THE WINTER’S TALE”

This play is a typical Shakespeare romantic comedy full of love, loss, mistaken identity, romance and redemption—with a twist.

It also offers the most famous stage direction of all time: “Exit, pursued by a bear.”

“And we will have a bear!” promises Director Bruce Hostetler. “You’ll have to see the play to see how we pull that off!”

“The Winter’s Tale” is not one of Shakespeare’s better known plays. And that’s unfortunate, in Hostetler’s mind.

“It’s the opposite of ‘Romeo and Juliet.’ That play starts off as a comedy that turns out badly. ‘The Winter’s Tale’ starts off tragically but turns out great as everything gets put back together by the end. It’s a cautionary tale that ends up with redemption,” he said.

Indeed, “The Winter’s Tale” opens with a Sicilian king named Leontes, who is convinced his wife Queen Hermione is having an affair with his childhood friend, Polixenes, the king of Bohemia.

During the play Hermione will be put on a pedestal to illustrate how King Leonte sees her.

“He really doesn’t know who she is. He can’t go to her and say, ‘Why is this happening?’ All he sees is that she is the mother of his children and physically attractive. And the relationships explodes because he doesn’t know how to talk to her,” said Hostetler.

After King Leontes abandons his baby, winter descends over all for 15 years, giving the play its name.  Hotsteler paused.

“This is not a political play. It’s about a human being. And, yet, I can’t help but think of a leader who won’t listen to people, even when he’s shown he’s in the wrong. I can’t help but think of someone who believes he’s right despite all the information to the contrary,” said Hostetler.

Fortunately, Leontes does come to his senses, even though it took 15 years of death or faking death for him to see things differently, said Natalie Battistone, who plays Queen Hermione.

“It’s a fulfilling play as it comes full circle with new generation starting in a healthier place,” said Natalie Battistone. “It’s really a beautiful romantic comedy.

The play features one of Shakespeare’s greatest clowns--a clown who believes he’s amoral but is actually good, said Hostetler. It also features one of the only women Shakespeare ever created who is strong without being angry.

The play will be accompanied by music, including that of the Grateful Dead and Simon and Garfunkel.

Peter Burke will play King Leontes and Kevin Wade, King Polixenes. Natalie Battistone will play Queen Hermione and Patsy Wygle, will play Queen Hermione’s loyal friend Paulina.

Tim Blount will play Lord Antigonus and Justin Ness, Camillo. Brett Moellenberg will play the priest/clown. And Kagen Albright will play the prince who falls in love with shepherd’s daughter, while Yanna Lantz plays the Oracle of Delphos.

Others in the play are Megan Mahoney, Annabelle Lewis, Will Lamoureaux and Cooper Salvoni.

“The Winter’s Tale” will start at 7 p.m. each night, opening Monday, July 24. It will continue Saturday and Sunday, July 29-30, and conclude Wednesday through Saturday, Aug. 2-5

The play will be performed in Ketchum’s Forest Service Park at First and Washington streets. There will be bleacher seating but audiences are invited to bring low-back lawn chairs, blankets, and picnics.

Tickets are $10 and $20, available at www.spotsunvalley.com . Or, save by purchasing tickets to both “Macbeth” and “The Winter’s Tale” for $15 and $30.

“The Winter’s Tale” is suitable for all ages.

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