Theatre Tue Apr 28 2009

Lady MacBeth ... Wait ... They're All ladies!

It has been quite some time since I have seen a stage performance as exciting, engaging, and as well performed as Babes With Blades rendering of Macbeth. I am not going to spend anytime speaking to the plot; Macbeth is pretty standard fare for high school English class. What made this performance was the cast. I suppose I'm supposed to mention that the cast is comprised entirely of ladies; that is, however, irrelevant. These are really good actors.

I was pulled into the story from the first scene and it remained this way throughout the performance. Macbeth offers intrigue, excitement, and tragedy, and this cast delivered that--in spades. I found myself leaning forward in my seat, totally engrossed in the action, hanging on each word between each actor in every scene. The acting is a wonderful mix of physical and emotional; the sword play was excellent (and not overdone); the actors created emotional believability with their characters and the interaction between them was very believable. I was upset when the play stopped for an intermission, and paced around impatiently for fifteen minutes until it resumed.

While I believe the entire cast was wonderful, I would like to point out three actors for their exceptional performances. Nika Ericson (Lady Macbeth) was the anchor of this performance. She was raw and emotional, and although the character of Lady Macbeth is hard to like, I connected with her. She commanded the stage whenever she was present and gave the performance a "soul" if you will. Kathrynne Wolf (Macbeth), Stephanie Repin (Banquo) and Amy E. Harmon (Macduff) also stand out brightly. The interactions between these three actors throughout the performance were very solid. The final scene in which Macbeth and Macduff fight to the death was a wonderful interaction (with great sword play) between Kathrynne and Amy.

In short, go see this performance. It is well worth it.

When: Opens on Monday, April 27, 2009, 8 p.m. (reception following)
Closes on Saturday, May 30, 2009

Where: La Costa Theatre (note venue change from Dream Theatre)
3931 N. Elston Ave., 2nd Floor, Chicago, IL 60618
Street parking; CTA: Blue Line L Irving Park/Pulaski stop, #80 Irving Park bus

Tickets: $20 for general admission
$13 for students and seniors with ID
773-880-0016, Babes With Blades Box Office; HotTix
Pay-What-You-Can Thursdays (except closing weekend May 28)
Play Money accepted (good at multiple theatres throughout Chicagoland - available
through the League of Chicago Theatres, chicagoplays.com)

— Norman Doucet / Comments (0)