MACBETH 2022 Reviews — Page 2

NYT is mixed:

Review: In a New ‘Macbeth,’ Something Wonky This Way Comes Daniel Craig and Ruth Negga star in Sam Gold’s oddly uneasy take on the Scottish play.

https://www.nytimes.com/2022/04/29/theater/macbeth-review-broadway.html

"Still, at the end of an often brutal Broadway season that was rightly concerned with harm and heartlessness — in which many shows, including this one, were bedeviled by illness and delays — I liked Gold’s showing us that in times of distress and violence people should remember to care for one another. If it has nothing to do with “Macbeth,” it has plenty to do with us."

NY Post:

https://nypost.com/2022/04/29/macbeth-broadway-review-daniel-craig-play-is-a-disaster/ "Daniel Craig play is a Disaster Royale"

The Wrap:

‘Macbeth’ Broadway Review: Daniel Craig and Ruth Negga Reinvent a Classic Once again, Sam Gold challenges audiences with his radical take on the Bard

https://www.thewrap.com/macbeth-broadway-review-daniel-craig-ruth-negga/

2 stars from The Telegraph:

Macbeth, review: Daniel Craig fails to shake or stir, but Ruth Negga provides a quantum of solace

You have to admire the ex-007's bravery in starring in this experimental Broadway staging, but it's Negga's Lady Macbeth who steals the show



https://www.telegraph.co.uk/theatre/what-to-see/macbeth-review-daniel-craig-fails-shake-stir-ruth-negga-provides/

AMNY:

Review | ‘Macbeth’ hits Broadway with Daniel Craig and weird direction

https://www.amny.com/entertainment/broadway/review-macbeth-hits-broadway-with-daniel-craig-and-weird-direction/

Uncannily, The Hollywood Reporter says almost exactly what many of us wrote here:

“Rather, it’s that this Macbeth proves so spectacularly misconceived and ineffective that you can practically hear witches cackling in the background. And I don’t mean the ones onstage.

It would be erroneous to report that the production suffers from a surfeit of bad ideas, because there are no ideas to be found. Rather, it’s as if the director had assembled his admirably diverse cast and told them to kick around some concepts and let him know what they came up with. “

Feldman’s review is a close second, despite the mystifying three stars, not matched by his dismissive words, like “anemic.”

Updated On: 4/29/22 at 04:21 PM

NY Daily News:

THEATER REVIEW: Daniel Craig gets trapped in a ‘Macbeth’ without a clear plan

https://www.nydailynews.com/entertainment/broadway/ny-macbeth-broadway-review-daniel-craig-20220429-64iwlu7n7vho3nsbp5gue5eryq-story.html

Has anyone seen this recently? We are coming to NYC in June and had originally planned to make this a part of the trip, but after the reviews and reactions, I scratched it off the list - just wondering if any changes had been made to render the piece more coherent???

I also saw it recently and don’t know that I’d call it “sadly still the same” but to each their own. I think there is some fantastic stuff happening here. Negga, Gray, Dizzia and Thornton all give really amazing performances.

Craig is fine and actually grew on me, and let’s just say his black pants deserve a special Supporting The Actor nomination.

Knowing the show was going to be Sam Gold Divisive, I went in really open minded and to my surprise got really into it.

I will say that the Act IV Malcom/Macduff scene is definitely not good, and damages the momentum of the production. I hate to fault actors but they are clearly miscast and out to sea.

So overall I liked it. I liked that it made my friends and me really dig in and talk about the show afterwards. We had some great discussion. And that, to me anyways, is one of the joys of theatre.

Updated On: 5/22/22 at 11:40 AM

Was out with friends yesterday, and they saw Macbeth and thought it was awful. One of them (who is a bit of a theatre newbie), I had to explain it's not the play, it's more the directorial choices. This one show almost put him off Shakespeare entirely!

Seeing this Tony Sunday, I'm already dreading it.

Random thoughts from seeing the show Tony Awards Sunday:

Came back to the city early to catch the 1PM matinee. Wish I'd stayed out of town. What a pointless sub-college black box experimental theatre iteration this was. At times I kind of got where Gold was going, and there was some chemistry between Craig and Negga, but what a colossal waste of time.

It's probably shorter, and less repetitive, to highlight the good parts: Negga was wonderful throughout; Thornton was great, as was Eboni Flowers (on for Amber), and Grantham Coleman.

I don't know who this Asia Kate Dillon is from TV, but they are one of the worst casting decisions I've watched on stage in recent memory. I guess I'm in the minority on Coleman, but I found that away from Dillon, his Macduff lit up. Against Dillon? Well really he was just collateral damage of a performance so rushed, monotone, 8th grade-level amateur, nothing could survive.

I did find the lighting and sound pretty cool, the set design and staging at time interesting?

Where were the anywhere near consistent accents? Was Negga doing Irish?

What fun it was to be house left and not even be able to see the witch (or sous chef) during what few scenes they were cooking up that stew. Who puts a table right up against the proscenium wall? Hello, sightlines!

I was confused a bit with Flowers one of the two others in the "out damn spot" scene? Is she always in that scene, or is it continuing Amber's track? Either way, it was confusing to see Banquo there interacting with Negga.

Even with the poor reviews, I was hopeful it would be salvageable. But when my partner, who really wanted to see it, turned to me at intermission and said, "This is baaad..." I knew it was going to be a long afternoon.

I was front mezzanine and I'd say maybe it was half full. Orchestra and balcony were very full, wonder what happened there. Maybe they heard the show ended with a stew made up of Seyton's entrails. Or whatever they were going for there.

I saw this on Tony Sunday. I'm in the minority in that I liked Gold's Lear a lot (was fine with all of his choices aside from the dog statues) but found some of his directorial touches here a bit odd. Still not sure the point of the soup (witches' brew, maybe?).

I do give Gold a lot of credit for casting actors of color and actors with disabilities (Michael Patrick Thornton was especially good). In his quest to make these plays more accessible, he creates Shakespeare for people who don't like Shakespeare. I don't necessarily think that's a bad thing but understand if others disagree.

The double casting was a mixed blessing (did we need five witches?) though I loved Dizzia as a witch, doctor, and Lady Macduff. Paul Lazar also had a very funny transition from Duncan to the Porter.

Gray was out on Sunday, but her understudy Eboni Flowers was excellent. Asia Kate Dillon was an outstanding Malcolm. I appreciated the physicality of Negga's performance- her Lady Macbeth moved like water, so fluid.

Craig was the polar opposite of Denzel in the movie. The lines Denzel underplayed, Craig shouted to the rafters. Both excellent performances, but I give Denzel a slight edge.