Review of Tlingit Macbeth

'Macbeth,' North by NorthwestIt's nicely conceived but not very powerful. Shakespeare's play overflows with emotional turbulence, but the acting is seldom intriguing or complicated. Some of this is indeed a matter of translation, since many (if not all) of the actors apparently had to learn Tlingit for this show.

But the English sounds as stately and straightforward as the Tlingit, leaving a lot of the play's inflated personality and supernaturalism oddly flat. Waid doesn't seem deeply troubled by Macbeth's deadly rationalizations and second-guessing, and Ekatrina Oleksa/Arrsamguq's rallying speeches as Lady Macbeth are similarly earnest and simple. You get the gist of the play, but not the juice.