Porter's Macbeth "a parody"

Porter's Macbeth is in one word, brilliant. These quick witted, agile actors are so engaging that I could have literally watched them all night long. My face hurt from laughing and my heart ached from the beautifully tragic end of Lady Scottish Play. Watch this play, love this play, then go out into the world and spread word of this play; it deserves nothing less.... full review

Incredible! I love any show that begins the moment you walk in the door. Immediately engrossing and fun! It is bare bones theatremaking at its best: actors, their voices, and the text. The original a cappella music creates a rhythm and percussion in the piece, letting our contemporary ears really hear the Bard's words. At the end we hear two essential speeches from the play, and can still feel the weight of the tragedy and guilt. Bravo to Turner and Alive Theatre! I'd see it again!... full review

I loved this show. It was brilliant. It is difficult to make a parody of Shakespeare while still honoring the amazing language, meaning and depth of the original text. Somehow Porter's Macbeth is hilarious, heart-wrenching, reflective and fun. It is a fantastic idea to have the tale told by one of the lesser characters and through the eyes of the Porter. It is akin to Tom Stoppard's Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead, which is high praise. It was absolutely genius to have us watch the story through the Porter's eyes and see it become more dramatic when he was sobering up and grow more silly and comedic when he knocked back more beer. The director and actors clearly have a strong understanding of the play, characters and language and are a... full review

Tony Frankel, theatre critic for Stage and Cinema here. PORTER'S MACBETH is a one-hour retelling of Shakespeare's Scottish Play from the viewpoint of Porter, a minor character who is the gatekeeper at Macbeth's home. Turner Munch's rapid-fire and inventive direction will surely make this a crowd pleaser, especially for those who accept stylized histrionics and zany antics in lieu of character development and story. Munch surely accomplished his goal of creative and heightened physicality, and there were some truly inspired bits, but his style overtook substance, especially when the hyper and occasionally unfocused high school-like proceedings verged on the annoying and inaccessible. For over 30 years, I have been adjudicating High Scho... full review