Well, I enjoyed this Macbeth very much overall with a few annoyances. I say this as a Macbeth or Shakespeare non-purist and having gone in with no preconceptions for the most part.
The very good: Liev Schreiber! Fabulous when he sees Banquo's ghost especially. Just all around loved him.
To insert a shallow observation...the costumer knows how to dress that man.
Looked especially nice in the tux with collar open and another black outfit later. Not to upset to see the sleeveless shirt later on, too. Nice arms.
The not quite as good: Jennifer Ehle. I didn't think she was horrible by any means, she was good mostly, but at the beginning, I could see what Nomdeplume meant. Her first speaking bit, she sounded too much like Elizabeth Bennett talking frantically to her aunt and uncle while trying to get away after meeting Mr. Darcy by chance at Pemberley. (Any BBC P&P fans should know what I mean). She sounded oddly like Keira Knightley there, too.
Later on, I thought her cadence was inconsistent. Sometimes a bit fast, sometimes just fine. I would've liked to see her be more subtle at first, as I think it would've been more effective to show her off as ambitious and calculating.
I did like her outfits for the most part.
The highly annoying: The whole bit going on before the play actually starts. All the war sounds while a few soldiers move around the set, a couple of them lie there dead. Not sure why, but it irritated me more as it went on. I was sitting in the theater for about 25 mins before it started (almost 15 mins late) and it became increasingly annoying. Just a bit of sensory overload for me for some reason. Though the one soldier walking back and forth was very cute.
The occasional ominous music was a bit annoying as well. And in one piece of music that was used at least twice, the first 2 long notes sounded freakishly like the first 2 notes in the original Star Trek theme drawn out. I know that sounds weird and no one probably would notice really, but it struck me quite a bit each time I heard it.
No luck at stage door. About a dozen people were out there for maybe 20 mins, then the "gatekeeper" said Jennifer had left already and there was a rehearsal for the others until 1am (though I saw the actor who played Duncan walk out not long after I got there). Liev Schreiber had been standing near the gate talking for at least 10 mins to someone who had come backstage earlier and had given him a big hug. Right after his guest left, we were told what I said above. I didn't buy it, but it didn't matter to me one way or the other. I was only there to see if I could talk to Jennifer briefly to ask a question a friend in another state had asked me to ask her.
It's not perfect, I suppose, but I'd recommend it. I wouldn't mind seeing it again.
