Macbeth @ Great Lakes Theater Festival 10/25 Get thee to the Hanna! Macbeth is one of William Shakespeare's most popular plays, perhaps because the story line is easy to follow for those whose ear is not attuned to late-16th century English. The story of Macbeth's dreary fall from honor and his very human pride and determination despite harrowing guilt is classical theater at its best. The audience does not need to know the historical background to become wrapped up in the drama on the stage.

The Great Lakes Theater Festival’s Fall Repertory opened just in time to feed my hunger for classical theater—I recently became reunited with former KSU professor Dr. Robert Tener, who made me weep with his passionate recitation of 16th century sonnets when I was twenty-one. My copy of The Riverside Shakespeare, scarred with my meticulous notes in the margins of the paper-thin pages, is prominent in my grandmother’s antique cherry cabinet.

I have never experienced Macbeth the way I experienced it as it was performed at the newly-refurbished Hanna Theatre.

The Hanna is quietly elegant and intimate compared to the other the other PlayhouseSquare theatres. The understated gift shop with its bobble-headed Shakespeares, bound copies of the great bard’s plays, and t-shirts gives way to interior space that feels more like a dinner theater. The bar stretches across the back of the theater. The wall behind it and the walls donned with benefactors’ names that cascade along the sides separate the performance space from the space for a drink, but one can see the play from the small bar seating area to the right of the bar.

On the other side of the walls, the stage is not far away. The lowered thrust stage looks like an empty orchestra pit when it is lowered. The well-touted placement of intimate seating around the stage truly means there is not a bad seat in the house. The gold and gold-tinged walls lighten up the classic old theater which features a beautiful flower-carved ceiling and ornate wall trim painted in shades of dark aqua and burgundy. The old theater boxes remain, but behind the limited balcony seating enclosed loges spread across the back. The uncarpeted floors beneath the seating are softened by earthy green carpeting in the aisles which the actors use liberally. The comfortable seats are a curved dark wood with light green cushions.

The Great Lakes Theater Festival has been committed to bringing classical theater to the public since 1962. 95,000 hours went into the design and construction of its new home. The fully flexible hydraulic thrust stage raises and lowers actors and scenery and enhances audience aesthetics. 85-90% of the construction waste material was recycled. In addition to traditional seating, club seating, lounge/bar seating, banquet couches, and private box seating are available. With its emphasis on making theater come alive for the community and in the schools, the GLTF’s revitalized Hanna Theatre is particularly suited to helping its audience make a personal connection about the truth of human nature through theater.

Another way GLTF connects with the audience is by offering social programming. Patrons have extraordinary access to the theater in the 90 minutes before the performance to witness the crew’s preparation for the shows. Salon Thursdays feature pre-show discussions, Happy Hour Fridays, patrons can meet at the new bar and lounge to enjoy appetizers and beverages, and Night Cap Saturdays encourage mingling with the acting company at the bar and lounge, which is open until midnight. During Ice Cream Social Sundays, the audience can purchase ice cream before the show or during intermission for half the usual price.

At the performance this weekend, Artistic Director Charles Fee teasingly asked how many of us were at the renovated theater for the first time. We lifted our hands. He asked why it took us so long--the Hanna was in its fifth week of production. Fee is engaging. The program quotes him as saying, “Our objective in creating this production has been to capture the rhythm of ritual, the intensity of action, and the strange beauty that Shakespeare has given these horrific events.”

The play was magnificent. The drums and cymbal-shields on either side of the stage and expertly timbered by drummers Seth Asa Sengel and Matthew Webb heightened the ritual feel and the darkness of the play. The demonic ritual of blood and death was emphasized by the drumming, the tingling shields, and an occasional flute. The three weird sister witches were wonderfully eerie and reminded us of impending death throughout the performance. Dougfred Miller, who played Macbeth, and Laura Perrotta, as Lady Macbeth, lead the rest of the highly-polished cast. The flowing kimono-like costumes and lighting often echoed the aqua and burgundy of the wall trim, which was visually pleasing.

The Re-Imagine a Classic funding campaign is headed by GLTF alumni Tom Hanks, who is quoted in the program as saying, “Great Lakes Theater Festival gave me much more than a start as an actor. In my three seasons at Cleveland’s classical repertory company I learned the discipline demanded by the profession and the joy of being part of this one-of-a-kind creative art.” Hanks performed in nine productions over three summers and won the Cleveland Critic’s Circle Award in 1978 for his portrayal of Proteus in The Two Gentlemen of Verona.

The Great Lakes Theater Festival, its history as a great theatre company, and its ambitious renovation of the Hanna Theatre make Cleveland proud. The GLTF season continues with Macbeth and Into the Woods in repertoire through November 8. Tickets can be purchased on-line at http://www.greatlakestheater.org. After the annual performance of The Christmas Carol at the Ohio Theater, audiences can again enjoy the Hanna in the spring.

From Cool Cleveland contributor Claudia J. Taller ctallerwritesATwowway.com
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