Review: GOBLIN:MACBETH

Live and in person at the Tarragon Theatre, Toronto, Ont. A Spontaneous Theatre Creation, playing until Nov. 3, 2024.

www.tarragontheatre.com

Created by The Goblins

Directed by a Goblin?

Musician, a Goblin?

Costume design by Philip Edwards

Masks by Composite Effects

Lighting by Anton DeGroot

Stage Manager, Dustyn Wales (he’s heavily involved in other ways in this epic)

Performers: Kragva

Moog

Wug

This is an explanation on the lack of actual programme information on who created, directed and acts in this wonderful, inventive show: the creators want anonymity. (sigh)

From the Programme: “The creators invite you to forego investigating the identities of the performers. The goblins are The Goblins. Allow the play and the text to wash over you in new ways. If you really must know who’s who, please wait until after the performance to search out this information hidden within the pages of the full digital house program. “

OOOOkaaaayyyyyy. Goblin: Macbeth is a combination serious rendering of the play with great swaths of improvisation. The Goblins don’t want the audience to be influenced with who is playing whom. We might get preconceived ideas of how it should/has been done. Anonymity is the word. They wear almost identical masks that cover the whole head; have pointed ears and a long nose; have the same markings on the head. They are only differentiated when they speak. So to take it to a finer point of anonymity, don’t speak at all—mime the damned thing! But I digress.  

Look guys, er, I mean, Goblins. It’s theatre, see? Plays and texts wash over the audience in new ways every time they see a play and try as you might, you have no control over how they might perceive, interpret, or understand it. If they see 10 productions of the same play, they will see 10 different productions, 10 different and NEW ways of looking at the play. And if an actor can’t surprise an audience out of their preconceived notions of how a part should be done, then the audience is either comatose or the actor should do something else, perhaps work at Schmaltz’s selling chopped liver.

The program does not list who’s who no matter how hard one looks for the ‘information hidden within the pages of the full digital house program” because it’s not there—those Goblins have really convinced the good folks at Tarragon, that anonymity is the way to go. There is an extensive Director’s note in the program not signed by anyone. I tell ya, it’s frustrating supporting such subterfuge when all one wants to do is give credit where credit is due. And they deserve a lot of credit. Goblin:Macbeth is a grand piece of theatre.

I remember seeing a production last year at the Stratford Festival of a show also called Goblin: Macbeth as part of their Meighen Forum. It too was a combination serious rendering of Shakespeare’s play with great swaths of improvisation.  It had three characters in it just like this one does playing all the parts as this one does; with the same mask designs, and while the actors seemed similar (body language, voice), to these good people at Tarragon, I think they were shorter.  

I reviewed it last year. It was great fun. Creative, inventive, smart, hilarious, and when they acted the actual text, it was strong assured and could stand up to any classical actor. Truly. The acting here at Tarragon is also strong and assured. And indeed I heard interesting and revelatory interpretations of the text. I just want to be able to give better credit than saying Wug is a powerful, compelling Macbeth and other characters; Kragva is a wonderfully controlled Lady Macbeth and others and Moog plays many characters with wit and all the musical instruments with class. Tapping the microphone as if it’s a percussion instrument is inspired.

I know!!!! I’ll just ‘reprint’ last year’s review with some updated variations….no one will know because it’s all anonymous!

Here goes……

Three Goblins: Kragva, Moog and Wug discover the horror and humanity of humans when they (the Goblins) discover a copy of the “Complete Works of William Shakespeare.” They decide they will also explore the world of theatre by performing the play Macbeth because it’s the shortest they say. (Actually, to be pedantic about it, Macbeth is the shortest of Shakespeare’s tragedies. The shortest play by Shakespeare is The Comedy of Errors. Google says so. It never lies. And I’m grateful to the Goblins for making me curious to look it up.)

I note one of the Goblins is sculking furtively around the lobby, making comments in a light (female?) voice. The Goblin chats up various patrons. This gives the humans in the lobby a chance to become familiar with ‘the look.’ The Goblin wears a mask that tightly covers the head and the face down to the neck. The head is bald with an octagon design etched on that back of the head. The ears are very long and pointed. The nose is very long, broad and pointed. There are black lines on the face and between the brow that give a sense of foreboding or aggravation. The lips are black. There is a little opening for the mouth but for the most part the mask leaves little room for facial expression. The costume is black with black pants and boots. (Kudos to Philip Edwards, who alas has passed away).

The other two Goblins are already in the theatre as the audience files in. They are masked the same way but with subtle differences in the face. The third Goblin joins the other two and they flit around the stage which is full of stuff: a boom box, three moveable large mirrors, rounds of old wood, an umbrella that is opened, and lots of musical instruments and a stand microphone.  

One cannot tell the gender of these Goblins unless they speak. Two sound like men, one is gruffer than the other. The third sounds like a woman. While the director’s note (from last year as well) said that the actors did not want to be associated with any character (for anonymity), one can assume the gruff voiced one is Bruce Horak, the not as gruff voice is Ellis Lalonde (and a hint here is that this is the Goblin who plays all the music, including a French café ditty(!), and the voice that sounds like a woman is Rebecca Northan.

(NOTE: there are moments of improvisation that are the same as last year, but of course with subtle, refined differences and just as funny).

A woman in the front row does something to lead the Goblins to declare that she is a witch and they bow down. They say her feet should be elevated and put a low box down so her feet can rest on it. They also race out to get her another glass of Vino. The improvisation is smooth, imaginative, quick-witted and nimble.

When the show starts, we are told by the Goblins that they find the human’s pre-occupation with gender, amusing. The Goblins say there are in fact 17 genders. That sounds good to me. They say that they have discovered a lot about humans when they discovered “The Collected Works of William Shakespeare,” and certainly Macbeth.

The Goblins begin the story by telling the audience that Scotland is at war with Norway. Macbeth is one of the leading soldiers. Then the three Goblins get ‘into it’ by playing various parts to tell the story.

The action is swift. Witches prophesy the future of Macbeth and Banquo, his companion in arms. When one of the prophecies comes true Macbeth gets antsy for more power; brave and murderous. His wife joins him.  Props are used with imagination—those mirrors are twirled for great effect. Music is played for example on accordion and a kazoo—at the same time!! The three Goblins riff off one another—are they improvising? Is it scripted? It’s all accomplished, brilliant and mischievous. They chide each other—one is out there playing three parts, it’s exhausting.

Macbeth is acted with a gruff, strong voice, vigor, conviction and power. Lady Macbeth has a softer voice, has the ability to manipulate and control and does a good job with Macbeth when it comes to the murders of her ‘house guests.’

Matters ramp up when the battle lines are drawn. Macbeth is over there in Dunsinane with his forces and the two Goblins representing the opposing forces are center stage, needing an army. Where will they get an army? They do a slow pan to the audience (this is not a spoiler alert. Where else are you going to get an army on short notice in a small theatre). The audience will be engaged in the action.  

Besides open-heart surgery or a trip to the dentist, nothing strikes terror in the hearts of an audience more than these two words: “audience participation.” Goblin:Macbeth has audience participation. Lots of it. DO NOT RUN AWAY!!! You are in good hands here.  

Rebecca Northan and Bruce Horak are master improvisors. They know how to engage an audience with consideration, care and respect. They have perfected the ability to look at an audience and sensitively know who is eager to participate (the hopeful eyes, the eager looks, the smile that says, “PICK ME!!!!”) and who does not want you anywhere near them in their ‘safe space’ in the audience (eyes averted, head down, telegraphing the thought: “Come near me under peril of your privates!”) These Goblins will not make you feel uncomfortable or awkward. These Goblins will make you eager to participate if you want to. That is one of their many gifts.

The Goblins teach us a lesson about humanity and the power of theatre in their witty, irreverent, and committed presentation of this glorious production.  They end by noting we in this theatre are a unified community all joined by the power of theatre to use our imagination to conjure all sorts of worlds. I found that observation so moving it took my breath away and I just wanted to say: “BRAVO!!! to Rebecca Northan, Bruce Horak and Ellis Lalonde for such an imaginative, perceptive, laugh-out-loud production of this gripping play, that also gripped us in the best way. Unfortunately I can’t say that, because of the anonymity thing.

Goblin:Macbeth –see it!!!!!

Tarragon Theatre presents A Spontaneous Theatre Creation:

Plays until Nov. 3, 2024.

Running time: about 90 minutes (no intermission)

www.tarragontheatre.com