Of William Shakespeare’s greatest works, among the most influential and recognizable is “The Tragedy of Macbeth.” The play was first publicly performed in 1611 at the Globe Theater in London, and quickly became one of the most enduring tragedies in the English language. Franklin Theater’s upcoming production of “Macbeth” will transform the stage into medieval Scotland, exploring familiar themes of ambition and power from a fresh perspective.
At its core, “Macbeth” tells the story of a respected Scottish nobleman who encounters a group of weïrd kinfolk, who then tell him he is destined to become king. When the prophecy does not come true quickly enough, Macbeth and his wife murder the king to claim the throne. Once crowned, however, Macbeth becomes consumed with guilt and paranoia. “When that doesn’t happen as soon as he’d like, he and his wife take it into their own hands. After he’s crowned, he spirals because of guilt, power, and paranoia,” lead actress Mesa Nelson-Nord explains. Macbeth’s fear of losing power drives him to commit further acts of violence, ultimately leading to his downfall and death.
While the Franklin production follows the original text, it introduces a significant creative change — there are two actors playing Macbeth. “I get to share my role with C Ponce Juergens, where we are on the stage at the same time and split lines,” Nelson-Nord explains. “[It’s] really fun because there were so many choices we could make. We interact with each other and embody different emotions in the same scene.” In this interpretation, Ponce Juergens portrays the more calculated and controlled side of Macbeth, while Nelson-Nord embodies the impulsive, ruthless, and emotionally volatile side. Together, they create a layered portrayal of a man divided against himself, struggling with intense guilt and a simultaneous hunger for power. The same dual-cast approach is taken with Lady Macbeth, further emphasizing the psychological tension that drives the story.
Though some dialogue was cut to make Franklin’s production a more manageable length, the original story remains intact. Through the rehearsal process, particular emphasis was placed on the cast’s understanding of the language, which is often considered one of the biggest challenges in performing Shakespeare. “We really try to understand exactly what we’re saying,” says Nelson-Nord. “Shakespeare is hard to understand, so we have to know every meaning in order to tell the story clearly and meaningfully.”
The story of “Macbeth” has been adapted countless times over the past 400 years, from traditional stage productions to more modern film interpretations. While many adaptations stay true to the original content and setting, others take more creative liberties. Kyle Davis, a former high school teacher who specializes in Shakespeare’s works, notes that, “The special thing about [his] work is how it remains rich for interpretation and adaptation, despite being written so long ago.”
One of the most well-known adaptations of “Macbeth” is “Throne of Blood,” a 1957 film directed by Akira Kurosawa. Set in feudal Japan rather than Scotland, the film replaces Scottish noblemen with samurai and castles with mist-shrouded fortresses. Despite being an aesthetic departure from more traditional interpretations of Macbeth, the story is basically the same, acting as a reimagining of the original source material. More recently, “The Tragedy of Macbeth,” directed by Joel Coen in 2021, presented the story in black-and-white, emphasizing the psychological unraveling of Macbeth and Lady Macbeth. The absence of color and minimalist, blank set design forces the audience to focus purely on the characters’ actions rather than the environment. In addition, rather than modernizing the language, the movie uses the original Shakespearean language, exhibiting how the play’s power and messages still resonate without significant alteration. Franklin Theater’s dual-casting approach joins that tradition of reinvention, offering audiences a new way to experience and interpret a familiar story.
With its unique spin on a classic, Franklin’s production promises a distinctive exploration of ambition and its consequences. For students, families, and community members, “Macbeth” offers new ways of interpreting Shakespeare. Tickets can be purchased in the theater section of Franklin’s Visual and Performing Arts department website. Performances will take place in the Franklin auditorium at 7 p.m. on March 6, 7, 13, 14, and 15, and at 2 p.m. on March 8.
