Ok I was excited at a chance to see some footage of David Tennant’s Macbeth (coming soon to a theatre probably not near you). If you’ve never seen Mr. Tennant play the villain, go check out his turn in Marvel’s Jessica Jones series. That recognizable accent that can so readily make ’em all swoon can easily switch to something more Satan than Seyton. Can’t wait to see what he does with the Scottish Play.
Ready?
I Hate It
I try very hard to find something to love in all Shakespeare performances, and I’ll probably watch this 12 times and find something. But on the first watch? I’m bothered by it, and I figured out why.
He’s looking at the camera, and I want him to stop.
It’s often asked about Shakespeare’s soliloquies. Who is the actor talking to? We know that the point is to share information with the audience, to get at the character’s inner thoughts in a way not otherwise available. But eye contact turns that from “we happened to overhear something we maybe shouldn’t be privvy to” into, “You’re in the story now, and I’m deliberately telling you this.” That makes you Macbeth’s confidante. And I think that takes away from his character. I want an insane Macbeth, someone paranoid with no idea who he can trust. I don’t want to be some trusted friend.
Maybe it will be different. Who knows, perhaps this is a little featurette they made just for this purpose, and it’s not actually in the play this way. That’d be annoying for different reasons, We all hate it when the trailer contains scenes or soundtrack that aren’t in the final product. Or maybe it’s there, but its limited, so Macbeth talks to us in the first half, working out the plan and telling us his fears because clearly he’s afraid to voice them to his wife, but then after the murders he just kind of forgets we’re there. That might be able to work.
When does it work?
Bardfim and I were discussing this morning about when and how this technique can work. In live theatre, it’s possible for the actor to pick out a specific seat in the audience and direct a whole speech at them. This probably works for the rest of the audience, since they still get the same experience. But what of that person? I think I’d want that to stop immediately. I don’t want to be part of the show.
It came to mind that Hamlet might be fun to add this element. Hamlet’s famous opening line is one that only we hear, “A little more than kin and less than kind.” Imagine he said that looking directly at you. So now you’re basically Horatio, you’re the witness to what’s going on,. Now it’s different. I don’t want to be in on it with Macbeth. But I want to be there for Hamlet. Does that make sense? If Hamlet knows I’m here, Hamlet’s not alone.
What do you think, do you want to be pulled into the play like this?
Richard III is the one when it comes to breaking the fourth wall.
It’s used very well in all four screen versions I’ve seen (starring Benedict Cumberbatch; Ian McEwan; Ron Cooke; and Lawrence Oliver) because it invites us to be complicit in the fun of Richard’s ascent to power. We have to choose at which stage we jump the train.
He charms us with his confidence, makes us laugh, and then, suddenly, we are accessories to a monster.
Without it, any sense of tragedy is lost. It literally becomes just desserts for an evil man, which is why I found The Globe’s recent production disappointing: https://www.upstarttuition.com/post/tl-dr-bad-man-does-bad-stuff-comes-to-bad-end