Before there was Frank Underwood in House of Cards or Walter White in Breaking Bad, there was Macbeth.
The rise and fall of the Scottish general, who spearheads a bloodbath to gain and secure the throne, takes the stage at the Arkansas Repertory Theatre beginning Friday.
Prompted by three witches prophesying that he will become King of Scotland, and a push from his dangerously motivated equal, Lady Macbeth, Macbeth murders King Duncan. But the witches also predict that the children of Banquo, a noble general, will inherit the throne, leading Macbeth, growing increasingly paranoid and corrupt, to continue ousting anyone in his way. The story is William Shakespeare’s shortest tragedy.
“People make choices because of ambition, because they want to get further, to be better, to be higher, to get more status than other people,” says Michael Stewart Allen, who plays Macbeth. “And I think [Macbeth’s] initial impulse is that, to be stronger.”
Robert Hupp, The Rep’s producing artistic director and director of Macbeth, says the play and shows such as House of Cards compare because, driven by blind ambition, the husband and wife work together to climb the ranks — something every generation can relate to.
“We may not aspire to be king of the Scots, but we can identify with that darker side of our own personalities,” Hupp says. “And often times, other things — other people, morality, religion, what have you — keep those darker tendencies in check, in most of us.
Jacqueline Correa, who plays Lady Macbeth, says her character desires power just as much as Macbeth but that it manifests differently due to being a woman during that time period. She stresses that “Lady Macbeth is a queen beside Macbeth, not because of Macbeth.”
“I think she’s driven by her own ambition in the sense that she feels like it is her right to have that crown, too,” she says.
Leading a movement to unseat Macbeth, Macduff, played by Seth D. Rabinowitz, falls victim to Macbeth’s ways when the king murders his wife and son.
“Macbeth falls the farthest,” Rabinowitz says. “But there’s nobody that doesn’t feel the result.”
Despite the murders, actors say Macbeth demonstrates a sense of humanity through having self-awareness. Guilt eats at his mind, and Lady Macbeth’s conscience drives her into madness.
“It would be different if you just saw someone killing people, and they’re just smiling,
and everything is great,” says Damian Thompson, who plays Banquo. “But it’s actually affecting [Macbeth], and I think you see that’s a human quality you can relate to, versus a cold animal that’s just doing something without any thought or regret, or feelings or anything like that.”
The Rep sets the scene around 1050 A.D., the time period in which the actual Macbeth lived, Hupp says. Stone structures make up much of the set’s foundation so that the stage can easily become a battlefield or castle.
“When you have a play by Shakespeare, particularly one that moves like this one, you don’t really want to get into a lot of set changes or a lot of different environments that require the moving parts like you would a musical because it would really slow the action down, and bog the action down in the play,” he says.
The costume designers also created hundreds of costumes — including the leather work, helmets, wigs and shoes — for the more than 15 actors, who play 35 different characters. Composer Mark Binns’ original score aids the transition of the story.
“If you’re reading Shakespeare, you’re doing it wrong,” Allen says. “Come see it. Come hear it. That’s where it really comes alive. It’s not meant to be read.”
Macbeth runs Sept. 11-27 at the Arkansas Repertory Theatre. Tickets are $35-45, with $20 tickets available for students. The Rep’s Pay What You Can Night begins 7 p.m. Wednesday. For showtimes and more information, visit therep.org.