(l-r) Thomas Langlois,
Liza Forrester,
Michael Monks,
Michael Sherman,
Jeff Groh,
Andrea Sayre-Brook,
Joe Hornbaker,
Jeff DeMaria,
Megan Hils
A Drum, a Drum, Macbeth Doth Come!
Ovation Theatre Company is “bloody, bold, and resolute” as it proudly presents the classic tragedy Macbeth, by William Shakespeare. Prompted by his ambitious wife and three prophesying witches, Macbeth is a man spurred on to murder the king and take the crown. Ovation’s production, intimately performed in the round, emphasizes the power and timelessness of the Bard’s classic text.
Director Joe Stollenwerk fuses his theatrical and literary backgrounds in his concept of the show: “I wanted my production to focus on the text: the language, the characters, the seductiveness of power, and the power of evil. I’m also focusing on the timelessness of the story. This play could be set in the 1100’s, the Renaissance, today, or anywhere in between. In order to heighten the timeless nature of Macbeth, I’ve eliminated any reference to time in the physical production.”
Performances are Friday and Saturday evenings, April 1, 2, 8, 9, 15, and 16 at 8:00 p.m., and Sunday afternoon at 2:00 p.m. All performances are held at the Fifth Third Bank Theater at the Aronoff Center for the Arts, located at the corner of Main and Seventh Streets in Downtown Cincinnati.
Tickets are $16 general admission, $14 seniors, and $12 students/children. Tickets can be purchased online at www.cincinnatiarts.org, at the Aronoff Center ticket office, or by calling 513-621-ARTS (2787). Ovation also offers a “Pay What You Can” Preview on Thursday, March 31 at 8:00 p.m.
Macbeth is presented with support from the City of Cincinnati, Fine Arts Fund, William O. Purdy, Jr. Foundation, and Aronoff Rental Subsidy.
The play will be underscored with the music of Igor Stravinsky, the Russian composer who revolutionized classical and modern music in the early part of the twentieth century. “Stravinsky’s music captures many of the aspects of Macbeth that I want to highlight,” says Stollenwerk. “His music is full of the same primitive, animalistic passions. Like Macbeth, Stravinsky’s music is timeless: most of the music we’re using was written between 1910 and 1940, but it still sounds contemporary, timeless, and even pre-historic.”
Jeff Groh
There is no scenery, almost no props, and the costumes (designed by Fallen Angels’ Chad Phillips) are a blend of neutral contemporary design, classic twentieth-century fashion, and influences from the past. “We’re drawing a lot of inspiration for the women’s costumes from dancer Martha Graham. Her work, like Stravinsky’s, is simultaneously contemporary, classic, and timeless. We’re also incorporating some Graham-like movement into some of the scenes with Hecate and the Witches.”
Heading the cast as the murderous Macbeth is Jeff Groh, a favorite of the local theatre scene, having appeared at Ensemble Theatre, Cincinnati Shakespeare, Know Theatre, New Edgecliff, and other local theatres. Making her Cincinnati debut as the driven Lady Macbeth is Andrea Sayre-Brook, a recent transplant from Lexington.
Michael Sherman, Michael Monks
Ovation veterans include Michael Monks (Jeffrey, Avow) as Malcolm, Joe Hornbaker (Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?) as Duncan/Porter, Patrick Downey (Crimes of the Heart) as Banquo/Doctor, Burgess Byrd (A Voice of My Own) as the Second Witch, and Megan Hils (The Two Towers) as Seyton.
Andrea Sayre-Brook
Twelve of the sixteen cast members are making their Ovation debuts, many also making their Cincinnati debuts. Liza Forrester, a DMA student at CCM, takes on the roles of Lady Macduff, Gentlewoman, and the often-cut-from-the play Hecate. Another opera singer, Eugenia Hamilton (new to Cincinnati in 2004), plays the First Witch. Other Ovation newcomers include Michael Sherman, a recent graduate of Baldwin-Wallace (Macduff); Martin Andrews, fresh off playing Oedipus at Rising Phoenix in Middletown (Ross); Thomas Langlois, seen the last two years in Cincinnati Playhouse in the Parks’ A Christmas Carol (Fleance/Son); Annie Pesch, a recent graduate of Wright State (Third Witch); Jeff DeMaria, a veteran of Stage First Cincinnati and other local stages (Lennox); Michael Wirick, last seen at the Women X 4 One-Act Festival (Angus), and newcomer Nicholas Day.
For more information about the show or Ovation, please call 513-369-1544 or email info@cincinnatiovation.com. Publicity photos are available by emailing info@cincinnatiovation.com.
All photography by James Czar