In an era defined by political polarization and the slippery slope of “alternative facts,” Shakespeare’s “Macbeth” feels less like a historical tragedy and more like a contemporary cautionary tale. It is an exploration of how “vaulting ambition” curdles into a corrosive paranoia, proving that power seized through treachery requires a lifetime of tyranny to sustain. This descent remains a haunting mirror to our modern, relentless pursuit of status, a reminder that when the moral compass is discarded, the guiding star vanishes with it.
Photo by Dan Norman
It is fitting, then, that Joe Dowling, who served as the Guthrie’s visionary artistic director from 1995 to 2015, returns to the Wurtele Thrust Stage to helm this bold, minimalist production. Dowling’s direction is lean and muscular, stripping away the clutter to reveal the raw, pulsing nerves of the text.
In the hands of Daniel José Molina, Macbeth is less a conventional villain and more a slow-motion car crash of the soul. Molina delivers a powerhouse performance, navigating the tug-of-war inside a man who is part heroic soldier and part greedy power-seeker. He makes the descent feel not just inevitable but earned; we watch, at times breathless, as he transforms from a man of action into a man hollowed out by his own choices. Beside him, Meghan Kreidler’s Lady Macbeth is a chilling portrait of resolve. Together, they meet the demands of their roles, portraying a “partnership of greatness” that eventually fractures under the weight of their own bloody hands.
Photo by Dan Norman
However, it is the supporting cast that provides the production’s essential heart. John Catron as Macduff and Sun Mee Chomet as Lady Macduff offer vital counterpoints to the Macbeths’ isolation. While the central couple is bonded by power, the Macduffs represent a grounded, breathing love that makes their eventual tragedy the play’s true emotional climax. Chomet imbues her role with a searing, maternal ferocity, turning her brief stage time into a haunting reminder of the “innocents” crushed under the boot of tyranny.
When the news of his “pretty chickens” reaches him, Catron’s performance is a masterclass in visceral grief. His initial roar of agony gives way to a hollow silence that fills the vastness of the Guthrie, reminding us that true strength lies in the capacity to love, not just to kill.
The creative team has boldly transformed the stage into a military state of no specific era, a non-place that feels both timeless and immediate. The moodiness of this world is heightened by Philip Rosenberg’s streaked, surgical lighting and Judith Dolan’s costume design, most notably Lady Macbeth’s shimmering gown, which seems to catch the light like a serrated blade.
Photo by Dan Norman
Clocking in at just under two hours with no intermission, this “Macbeth” is a sprint toward destruction. The descent into madness and murder is quick, but the conversation it evokes regarding our own modern ambitions may, and should, last much longer.
“Macbeth” plays at the Guthrie Theater through March 22. Tickets at guthrietheater.org.
Photo by Dan Norman
