Anyone who considers reality TV as lowbrow should withhold final judgement until they see this play. William Shakespeare’s words lend themselves as surprisingly appropriate in a “Real Housewives” reality-motif show titled The Real Thanksgiving at Macbeth’s. I half-expected Andy Cohen to walk out at the closing to commence a recap reunion sit-down around a sofa.
Shakespeare’s most famous characters Macbeth, Lady Macbeth (here, called Trudy) Richard, Hamlet, Romeo, Juliet, Duncan, Nurse, and the three witches all gather for a Thanksgiving dinner at which the succession of the kingdom is to be revealed. Complete with snippets from filmed confessionals, we see how reality TV would have played in Shakespeare’s era and the concept fulfills its entertainment value. I shy from disclosing too much of the plot because it’s more fun to let it unroll while your mind searches for all the literary and pop-culture references.
The play is exquisitely written and includes numerous famous soliloquies from the Bard’s plays. I challenge you to spot them all. Get a close look at Macbeth’s costuming – so subtle and on point. Keep an eye on the servants – their expressions are priceless and often behave as you would imagine you would if serving in a high house. Some scenes run on for far too long and lose their impact. Even though Juliet has a lovely singing voice, it’s just too much. The dance party, while entertaining and reminiscent of one of my family weddings, doesn’t add meaningfully to the storyline.
The Real Thanksgiving at Macbeth’s closes July 27, 2019 Details and tickets
Easily one of the best fringe productions. I expect that it will be a full house at every showing. Next stop, Bravo Channel and Watch What Happens Live!
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