CUMMING. Portrays 16 roles in Shakespearean tragedy.
It’s hard to imagine a more daunting task than the one being undertaken by Alan Cumming in the latest adaptation of William Shakespeare’s shortest but most popular tragedy, “Macbeth” still showing at the Barrymore Theatre on Broadway until June 30.
The former Tony Award winner (“Cabaret”) has played both Hamlet and Romeo in the past, but his latest endeavor is a tougher row to hoe—because he plays all the significant characters in the almost two-hour production, with no intermission!
Tackling a major role in a tragedy or comedy by The Bard is a terrifying albeit confidence-boosting challenge in itself, but the degree of difficulty that Cumming hurdles to inhabit some 16 characters would be an almost impossible feat to pull off—if it weren’t for the 48-year-old actor’s courage, skill, extensive experience, and nerves of steel! The play benefits from the stunning clarity of Cumming’s delivery as he swiftly shifts character.
This time, the true-to-life tale of an 11th century Scottish king’s murderous ambition and corrosive guilt is cleverly transported to a mental institution, where a bloodstained Macbeth is ushered into a creepy isolation room by two uniformed individuals (Jenny Sterlin, Brendan Stitley), who stand behind glass windows like Orwellian beings as they monitor Macbeth’s every move. They hardly utter a word—they just hover!
The novel idea is a stroke of genius. The spectacular tour de force gets off to a good start when the tormented king asks as the attendants begin to depart: “When shall we three meet again?” Of course, the line really belongs to one of the three witches who prophesy the erstwhile military general’s ascent to the Scottish throne. —Alas, Macbeth’s rise to power also sets off his descent into madness and depravity.
With his domineering wife dictating his every move, Macbeth embraces his destiny by killing King Duncan, his apple-hoisting colleague Banquo, and everyone else who gets in the way of his ambition!
Cumming mesmerizes as he flits from one character to the next with manic intensity and machine-like precision. His immense gifts as a versatile performer are grist for the thespic mill that are used to delineate each role without confusing theatergoers—even those unfamiliar with Macbeth’s sordid tale.
The focus is more personal than political: Cumming exposes the vulnerability and gullibility of King Duncan as he sits on his throne, demonstrates Lady Macbeth’s manipulative mind as she vigorously washes her hands then barks orders while she lies naked in a bathtub, and conveys the doom that befalls children—among them, the Macduffs—by talking to tiny sweaters and creepy looking dolls!
At curtain call, the spellbound audience cheered wildly as it rose to its feet. After all, begrudging Cumming of a much-deserved standing ovation would have been cruel and most unfair—the actor has defied seemingly insurmountable odds to take on “Macbeth” single-handedly!
What drove him to accept the grueling challenge? For starters, Cumming is fond of “Macbeth” because it was in a 1985 Glasgow production of the play that he made his professional theatrical debut—as Prince Malcolm, King Duncan’s heir.
In his interview with Playbill’s Marc Acito, the actor admits that he hasn’t come out of the physically and vocally demanding production unscathed. He says he feels “like I’d aged 20 years”—but, the “pain” disappears the minute he goes onstage.
Talk about a high-wire act, this is one for the books!