Word: macbeths
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Dates: during 1950-1959
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...club was born when several freshmen who had played bit parts in the HDC production of Macbeth thought they would benefit by the experience which they could gain in a production of their own, and spoke to John A. Ballard, proctor in Thayer Hall, who agreed to help them get started...
Although director William Meador seems strongly interested in the psychology of Macbeth's progression from evil to evil, his concept of it is indecisive, and he has not avoided the danger of overemphasizing his effects. The present HDC production suffers seriously as a result. His idea of Macbeth's character seems unclear at the start of the play, and hence the subsequent interpretation is clouded and confusing...
...lack of orientation than from any failure in acting technique. His delivery is generally moving and expressive, and the mannerisms he has assumed for the part are quite acceptable. The heart of the trouble is the suggestion that neither he nor Meador is quite sure what is happening to Macbeth, or why, and as a result the audience cannot be deeply involved in his self-destruction...
...Lady Macbeth, too, remains something of an enigma. Barbara Forester plays the part with a good deal of vigor and violence, both of which are appropriate in spots, but not throughout. Her malice and ambition could be more impressive if they were less blatant, and her occasional shrewishness obscures understanding of her subtly poisonous influence upon her husband...
...Macbeth's ambiguity is the major flaw in this production. A more determined and decisive presentation of the man in any consistent interpretation would probably result in a fine drama without any changes in the case. As it stands, however, the play does not bring its power to a focus...