Something extraordinary this way comes: PSC’s ‘Macbeth’ a delight

One word: Brilliant. Wait, another: Mind-blowing. The spirited acting and the artistic stage direction of “Macbeth,” directed by Allie Kolaski ’13, bring to Princeton a performance that will keep your heart racing, challenge your intellect and delve into the depths of your soul.

Running for what seems too fast for two and a half hours, Shakespeare’s “Macbeth” begins with a scene presenting three unidentifiable witch-like creatures, whose possessed twitching and hollow incantations invite the audience into the utterly creepy and dark realm of Scotland. It is in this realm where our tragic hero-villain Macbeth, recently promoted, receives a prophecy predicting his kingship.

Kolaski’s direction of the play is astonishing. Astonishing in that it’s artistically intriguing and aesthetically pleasing; astonishing also in that it prods the viewer to reflect (literally, through Kolaski’s original concept of six giant mirrors placed on the stage) and wonder about how each element enhances the reading and interpretation of the play, forcing not only the characters to consider their own self-reflection, but also viewers to consider their own actions and decisions in life.

Everything acts in harmony, balanced and aesthetically enjoyable in this play filled with disorder and chaos. From the minimalistic set design to the monochromatic costumes (by Sophie Brown ’15) to clever stage direction and offstage action, this production pulls the audience into a somber chaos of emotion, with each scene building momentum and evoking emotions from pity to antipathy, love to woe. Although the scenes leading up to Lady Macbeth’s entrance could be tightened a bit, after her entrance, the scenes grip the viewer in total suspense up until the end.

But what completely blows me away is the acting, heightening the drama with underlying tones of fear and darkness throughout. I was struck by the intensity of each individual actor: from the ominously comic porter (Evan Thompson ’14), whose witty acting made me laugh out loud, to the emotionally wrenching sorrow of MacDuff (Patrick Morton ’13) upon learning of the murder of his family.

With her powerful and commanding stage presence, Savannah Hankinson ’13 brings to life a touchingly creepy, fearsome, slyly seductive Lady Macbeth, who by the end of the play shatters into a heart-breakingly tragic entity. The passion Hankinson breathes into her character runs strong from her entrance to exit, and the sheer complexity of her character, masterfully portrayed, makes her such a beautifully tragic and sympathetic character. And portraying the double-faced Macbeth, Pete Mende-Siedlecki GS blows the audience away, first crafting a seemingly tame character who, after murder, falls into an abyss of identity crises and paranoid delusions, then building up into a wretchedly broken, yet so human character.

The scene changes hamper the momentum of the play by quite a bit, and the play is lacking in dramatic sounds and lighting to fully encompass this mood of darkness and paranoia. Lighting, sound and proper stage management should be up and running by opening night, and if the quality is as impeccable as the quality of all other aspects of the play, I guarantee a night of mind-blowing brilliance.