Audience: 'Macbeth' is 'powerful'

The lobby of the Ruth N. Halls Theatre was buzzing Friday night after the opening performance of Shakespeare's classic tragedy "Macbeth." The play, the third in the IU Department of Theatre and Drama's season, started its run with enthusiasm despite the dark mood of the show. \n"It was spectacular," said senior Erin Aakhus after the show. "It's a visual feast."\nIndeed, the atmosphere of "Macbeth" was established before the lights even went down. A smoky mist hovered over the dark set and lingered throughout the entire production, unsettling the audience and swirling around Macbeth's insatiable greed. The set, created by scenic designer Dathan Powell, incorporated dark and unusual elements like skulls, bones and rushing water. The mixture of dark metallic set pieces and the fluidity of the water and smoke illuminated Macbeth's desire to become king in contrast to his guilty conscience wavering over his dark deeds.\n"Macbeth" combined intense action and speech -- a swordfight followed by a soliloquy, in traditional Shakespearean fashion. The department's dynamic cast consists of 34 students, which is the largest for a nonmusical production in the past 20 years.\n"Macbeth" centers around the theme of power and the desire to have it, one dimension of which is present in the sexual tension between Macbeth and Lady Macbeth. The play appropriately lacked any romantic feeling and filled its void instead with greed and ambition. Macbeth wrapped his arms slowly around the waist of his wife while complimenting her on her how unfeminine she is as they plot a murder. The production took care to display this heightened power and rejection of love, as power and deceit dominated the stage.\nLighting designer Robert Shakespeare also enraptured the audience with his designs for the show.\n"The lighting was especially powerful. It was very impressive," Bloomington resident Henry Berghoef said.\nBloomington resident JoAnn Kelley agreed.\n"I really enjoyed the use of red lighting. It was very effective," she said. \nKelley also praised the performances of the three witches, who appeared several times throughout the show. Their presence gave "Macbeth" an eerie, supernatural feel, making predictions and concocting potions that produced bloody consequences for the characters of the show. \nThe production team and cast have put together a compelling version of "Macbeth," which audience members said exceeded their expectations.\n"It's so much beyond what I could have expected from a college cast," Aakhus said. "It's very well articulated"