Michelle Peterson as Lady Macbeth and Jason Tatom as Fool - photo credit Rick Pollock

A smattering of comments from patrons attending LADY MACBETH this past week. Just a handful of tickets remain – snatch them up while you can here!

What a wonderful show. I really enjoyed myself. Shakespeare meets John Stewart. My friends and I laughed ourselves silly. The actors were all perfect in their roles. Great play, great experience.

- Danene Peterson

I can’t think of the last time I laughed as much as I did while watching LADY MACBETH!
- Diane Carter

What a delight! LADY MACBETH was simply amazing. The action and dialogue moved along so quickly, I feel like I need to come and see it again just to try and catch it all. One hour and a half flew by. The acting was superb. The wagon, changing into a stand/bench was amazing. Well done Plan-B! I especially enjoyed the pre-show and interval music. Love anything by Aden Ross.
- Alicia Odell

LADY MACBETH was our first Plan-B production, I’m sorry to say. The script was lively and engaging. The acting amazing! The atmosphere? We felt we were in the off-Broadway portion of a much bigger city! What a great night out. Make sure you spend an evening (or afternoon) with LADY MACBETH!
- Janet Frasier

What a fantastic production! Kudos to Aden Ross for creating a brilliant conflagration of Shakespearean frolic and jest. The acting and directing were superb! The spiffy, spoofy characters were captivating and the continuity and cohesiveness either had the audience laughing or held the audience on the edge of laughter the entire time – very impressive. Never a moment of lag – excellent!
- Tami Marquardt

My husband and I enjoyed LADY MACBETH – a special treat on a sunny Sunday afternoon. It was witty, clever, entertaining, and relevant to many of today’s issues. Even though we weren’t ‘up to snuff’ on our Shakespeare we were able to catch on to the different nuances of different plays. Everyone will enjoy this experience!
- Katherine Smith

LOVED the play this afternoon. The script was very clever and the acting superlative! The “choreography” of Iago and Portia was such fun, and Malvolio could not have been more perfectly cast.
- Susan Hafen

LADY MACBETH was fantastic – very contemporary and apropos subject matter. But what fun having it set in Elizabethan, Shakespearean style! I loved it and will make a point of attending another production!
- Anne Williams

I have to say the “bad acting” in the play within the play was my absolute favorite part. The house of cards and other over gestures were great. The first scene was great at setting the tone.
- Chris Midgley

Near the end, when the characters are standing together and talking about the handkerchief, was well choreographed, engaging and fun to watch. Well done!
- Alexis Tunnell

A smattering of comments from patrons attending LADY MACBETH this past week. Just a handful of tickets remain – snatch them up while you can here!

What a wonderful show. I really enjoyed myself. Shakespeare meets John Stewart. My friends and I laughed ourselves silly. The actors were all perfect in their roles. Great play, great experience.
- Danene Peterson

I can’t think of the last time I laughed as much as I did while watching LADY MACBETH!
- Diane Carter

What a delight! LADY MACBETH was simply amazing. The action and dialogue moved along so quickly, I feel like I need to come and see it again just to try and catch it all. One hour and a half flew by. The acting was superb. The wagon, changing into a stand/bench was amazing. Well done Plan-B! I especially enjoyed the pre-show and interval music. Love anything by Aden Ross.
- Alicia Odell

LADY MACBETH was our first Plan-B production, I’m sorry to say. The script was lively and engaging. The acting amazing! The atmosphere? We felt we were in the off-Broadway portion of a much bigger city! What a great night out. Make sure you spend an evening (or afternoon) with LADY MACBETH!
- Janet Frasier

What a fantastic production! Kudos to Aden Ross for creating a brilliant conflagration of Shakespearean frolic and jest. The acting and directing were superb! The spiffy, spoofy characters were captivating and the continuity and cohesiveness either had the audience laughing or held the audience on the edge of laughter the entire time – very impressive. Never a moment of lag – excellent!
- Tami Marquardt

My husband and I enjoyed LADY MACBETH – a special treat on a sunny Sunday afternoon. It was witty, clever, entertaining, and relevant to many of today’s issues. Even though we weren’t ‘up to snuff’ on our Shakespeare we were able to catch on to the different nuances of different plays. Everyone will enjoy this experience!
- Katherine Smith

LOVED the play this afternoon. The script was very clever and the acting superlative! The “choreography” of Iago and Portia was such fun, and Malvolio could not have been more perfectly cast.
- Susan Hafen

LADY MACBETH was fantastic – very contemporary and apropos subject matter. But what fun having it set in Elizabethan, Shakespearean style! I loved it and will make a point of attending another production!
- Anne Williams

I have to say the “bad acting” in the play within the play was my absolute favorite part. The house of cards and other over gestures were great. The first scene was great at setting the tone.
- Chris Midgley

Near the end, when the characters are standing together and talking about the handkerchief, was well choreographed, engaging and fun to watch. Well done!
- Alexis Tunnell

Tracie Merrill as Portia - photo credit Rick Pollock

Tracie Merrill has previously appeared in DI ESPERIENZA, the SCRIPT-IN-HAND SERIES and a coupla SLAMs for Plan-B. She plays Portia in LADY MACBETH.

As we enter into opening week, I want to make it crystal clear that LADY MACBETH is a play for all theatregoers, not just Shakespeare connoisseurs.

Granted, I am a bit of a Shakespeare geek. Not so much that I sit around reading the Bard’s canon on a Saturday night, mind you, but enough of one that I seek out the productions that make me laugh out loud, audibly gasp, and, believe it or not, make me sit on the edge of my seat. Shakespeare’s text can seem intimidating, but when you come right down to it, they are just stories, and when told with a certain level of cleverness and creativity, it is shocking how understandable the stories are.

For example, when I was a freshman in college, I attended a production of TWELFTH NIGHT at Playmaker’s Repertory Company, the regional theatre associated with the university. I was so shocked at how fun and accessible the play was, that I went back to my dorm room, pulled out a copy of the Complete Works, and checked to see if the text had perhaps been modernized or updated for the show I had just seen. No? How was that possible? I mean, I actually UNDERSTOOD!

And that’s what I mean by geek.

But, since this is a play by Aden Ross and not Shakespeare, what’s to fret, right? As you are already probably aware, Aden has taken 8 characters from 6 different Shakespeare plays, and thrown them into a political farce. Although there are a few references that only the geekiest of Shakespeare geeks may nod their heads knowingly at, you don’t need to be in that club to appreciate the cleverness involved in this theatrical roller coaster. But in case you are looking for a refresher course from your school days, I have created a cheat sheet Below is a five-line-or-less description for each of the plays that Aden has pulled her characters from (the play is listed first and the characters present in our play are noted in parenthesis). Be sure to expect a few twists and turns in our production – Aden’s characters have taken on new lives and roles in LADY MACBETH. But it’s still fun to be a part of the ‘in’ crowd…

MACBETH (Lady Macbeth): Macbeth, with the aid of his ambitious and ruthless wife, Lady Macbeth, plow over anyone in their way of their quest for power in the Scottish Court. The king is stabbed to death by Lady M, when M fails to take care of the deed himself. As cold and cunning as she can be, Lady M is afflicted by nightmares of the deed, causing her to relive the event again and again in a sleepwalking state until she eventually kills herself. Try to guess which political figure is the model for our Lady M.

OTHELLO (Othello & Iago): Iago, an officer in the Italian army, is passed over for promotion. Driven by resentment, he pushes Othello to smother his (that being Othello’s) young, innocent wife with a pillow in a jealous rage. A simple, strawberry spotted handkerchief plays a deadly part in propelling the story forward. It is safe to assume they are not the best of friends.

HAMLET (Gertrude & Ophelia): Hamlet’s father is murdered by his own brother, Claudius. Soon after, Claudius marries his brother’s widow, Hamlet’s mother, Gertrude. Hamlet, obsessed with revenge, breaks off romantic relations with Ophelia, orders her to a nunnery, and accidentally kills her father and her brother, all during his quest to unveil the murderous Claudius. Not a good week for any of them, including Ophelia, who is driven mad and drowns in a nearby river. And it only gets worse.

MERCHANT OF VENICE (Portia): Antonio, whose own fortune is tied up in shipping ventures, takes out a loan to help his friend Bassanio woo Portia, a rich heiress of Venice. Although Bassanio is successful and becomes engaged to Portia, Antonio’s investments have yet to pay off, and he is forced to default on the loan. The penalty – Shylock the Jew may extract a pound of flesh from young Antonio. By dressing as a man and posing as a lawyer, Portia is able to save Antonio’s life. A woman to the rescue? Nice.

TWELFTH NIGHT (Malvolio): Malvolio is the steward of a rich woman who has decreed a seven-year state of mourning in her household after the death of her brother. Such a state of living suits the snobbish and melancholy Malvolio quite well compared to the bumbling cast of characters that surround him in the company of his mistress. Not very popular among his peers, he is tricked into behaving against his norm and dressing in yellow gartered stockings to impress his mistress. Those same peers see to it that Malvolio is locked up for acting insane. While the majority of characters are happily paired off in the end, Malvolio remains friendless and alone (thank you for giving him a second chance, Aden!).

KING LEAR (Fool): King Lear mistakenly divides his kingdom between two of his undeserving daughters, while denouncing the one daughter who truly loves him. The Fool, also a faithful follower to the king, offers the voice of reason. The fool’s freedom lies in his ability to speak the truth, but sadly, no one takes him seriously. King Lear is finally led down a path to madness and death. (Thank you to Jason Tatom for a little extra insight regarding KING LEAR, the play in this grouping that I am least familiar with!).

Our play is much funnier than all this sounds. I swear.

LADY MACBETH by Aden Ross runs October 27-November 6. Purchase tickets here.

Tracie Merrill | Photo credit: Rick Pollock

Tracie Merrill has previously appeared in DI ESPERIENZA, the SCRIPT-IN-HAND SERIES and a coupla SLAMs for Plan-B. She plays Portia in LADY MACBETH.

As we enter into opening week, I want to make it crystal clear that LADY MACBETH is a play for all theatregoers, not just Shakespeare connoisseurs.

Granted, I am a bit of a Shakespeare geek. Not so much that I sit around reading the Bard’s canon on a Saturday night, mind you, but enough of one that I seek out the productions that make me laugh out loud, audibly gasp, and, believe it or not, make me sit on the edge of my seat. Shakespeare’s text can seem intimidating, but when you come right down to it, they are just stories, and when told with a certain level of cleverness and creativity, it is shocking how understandable the stories are.

For example, when I was a freshman in college, I attended a production of TWELFTH NIGHT at Playmaker’s Repertory Company, the regional theatre associated with the university. I was so shocked at how fun and accessible the play was, that I went back to my dorm room, pulled out a copy of the Complete Works, and checked to see if the text had perhaps been modernized or updated for the show I had just seen. No? How was that possible? I mean, I actually UNDERSTOOD!

And that’s what I mean by geek.

But, since this is a play by Aden Ross and not Shakespeare, what’s to fret, right? As you are already probably aware, Aden has taken 8 characters from 6 different Shakespeare plays, and thrown them into a political farce. Although there are a few references that only the geekiest of Shakespeare geeks may nod their heads knowingly at, you don’t need to be in that club to appreciate the cleverness involved in this theatrical roller coaster. But in case you are looking for a refresher course from your school days, I have created a cheat sheet Below is a five-line-or-less description for each of the plays that Aden has pulled her characters from (the play is listed first and the characters present in our play are noted in parenthesis). Be sure to expect a few twists and turns in our production – Aden’s characters have taken on new lives and roles in LADY MACBETH. But it’s still fun to be a part of the ‘in’ crowd…

MACBETH (Lady Macbeth): Macbeth, with the aid of his ambitious and ruthless wife, Lady Macbeth, plow over anyone in their way of their quest for power in the Scottish Court. The king is stabbed to death by Lady M, when M fails to take care of the deed himself. As cold and cunning as she can be, Lady M is afflicted by nightmares of the deed, causing her to relive the event again and again in a sleepwalking state until she eventually kills herself. Try to guess which political figure is the model for our Lady M.

OTHELLO (Othello & Iago): Iago, an officer in the Italian army, is passed over for promotion. Driven by resentment, he pushes Othello to smother his (that being Othello’s) young, innocent wife with a pillow in a jealous rage. A simple, strawberry spotted handkerchief plays a deadly part in propelling the story forward. It is safe to assume they are not the best of friends.

HAMLET (Gertrude & Ophelia): Hamlet’s father is murdered by his own brother, Claudius. Soon after, Claudius marries his brother’s widow, Hamlet’s mother, Gertrude. Hamlet, obsessed with revenge, breaks off romantic relations with Ophelia, orders her to a nunnery, and accidentally kills her father and her brother, all during his quest to unveil the murderous Claudius. Not a good week for any of them, including Ophelia, who is driven mad and drowns in a nearby river. And it only gets worse.

MERCHANT OF VENICE (Portia): Antonio, whose own fortune is tied up in shipping ventures, takes out a loan to help his friend Bassanio woo Portia, a rich heiress of Venice. Although Bassanio is successful and becomes engaged to Portia, Antonio’s investments have yet to pay off, and he is forced to default on the loan. The penalty – Shylock the Jew may extract a pound of flesh from young Antonio. By dressing as a man and posing as a lawyer, Portia is able to save Antonio’s life. A woman to the rescue? Nice.

TWELFTH NIGHT (Malvolio): Malvolio is the steward of a rich woman who has decreed a seven-year state of mourning in her household after the death of her brother. Such a state of living suits the snobbish and melancholy Malvolio quite well compared to the bumbling cast of characters that surround him in the company of his mistress. Not very popular among his peers, he is tricked into behaving against his norm and dressing in yellow gartered stockings to impress his mistress. Those same peers see to it that Malvolio is locked up for acting insane. While the majority of characters are happily paired off in the end, Malvolio remains friendless and alone (thank you for giving him a second chance, Aden!).

KING LEAR (Fool): King Lear mistakenly divides his kingdom between two of his undeserving daughters, while denouncing the one daughter who truly loves him. The Fool, also a faithful follower to the king, offers the voice of reason. The fool’s freedom lies in his ability to speak the truth, but sadly, no one takes him seriously. King Lear is finally led down a path to madness and death. (Thank you to Jason Tatom for a little extra insight regarding KING LEAR, the play in this grouping that I am least familiar with!).

Our play is much funnier than all this sounds. I swear.

LADY MACBETH by Aden Ross runs October 27-November 6. Purchase tickets here.

Jason Tatom

Jason Tatom has previously appeared in EXPOSED, the SCRIPT-IN-HAND SERIES and a coupla SLAMs for Plan-B. He plays the Fool in LADY MACBETH. 

Okay, we just finished the second week of LADY MACBETH rehearsal. Or, as I like to call it, the “I hope I’m still funny” week. I like to compare the three weeks of rehearsal to dating. The first week, everything is fresh and new. There are mysteries to uncover. You find out what you and the rest of the cast, and even the play, have in common. It’s easy to keep up a sense of play, and everything that everyone does is charming and adorable. The whole week has a sort of glossy, happy, but completely artificial sentimental haze around it. It’s kind of like every close up of Cybill Shepherd in that old TV series MOONLIGHTING. Those of you old enough to remember will know exactly what I’m talking about. And those of you who aren’t old enough…Just put your head down on your desk and sit quietly. I feel old enough as it is.

The third week is much like a couple in a committed relationship. The puppy love has burned away, and you realize the work that it takes to maintain the relationship. And for the most part, you’re up to it. You’ve known each other long enough to see trouble coming, and head it off if you can. If you can’t, you’re a team. You can handle it together.

But that second week…Oy. That’s when all of the heavy lifting happens. Those places in the script that killed just a few days ago don’t seem to get the response they used to. “Is it me? Am I not as funny and talented as I thought I was? Nahhh, that’s just crazy talk. It’s totally them.” You start to fear that you’re just not smart enough to be in this play. Any second now they’ll realize you don’t know what you’re doing, and let you go. You stumble around the stage for the first time without the safety blankey of the script in your hand; trying to remember your words, where you stand, where you move, and who you’re supposed to be talking to. And if you’re feeling really cocky, you might just try to make that random assortment of words tumbling out of your mouth make some sort of sense. But, if you hang in there, and the week progresses, things start to get better. After working a scene you may have the opportunity to say to yourself, “Hey! That went well. I remembered like 75% of my words. Plus, I didn’t knock anything over this time!”

That’s the beauty of the second week. Thing get better because you put the work in. As a team, you made it better. You stop worrying about yourself, and start connecting with all of the talented people out there with you. You start to realize “Oh, that’s what that means! That’s why I say what I say later in the show. Okay.” And I can tell you, if you’re lucky enough to be a part of a cast as talented as this one, you thank your lucky stars. Take my word for it, these folks got game. Don’t believe me? Come see for yourself.

So, that’s essentially what the second week is. You start it with only the slightest idea of what you’re doing. But after some hard work, cursing, and in my case, copius amounts of sweat, you come out with the framework for one hell of a show. Bring it on week three. We can handle it.

LADY MACBETH by Aden Ross runs October 27-November 6. Purchase tickets here.

Jason Tatom

Jason Tatom has previously appeared in EXPOSED, the SCRIPT-IN-HAND SERIES and a coupla SLAMs for Plan-B. He plays the Fool in LADY MACBETH.

Okay, we just finished the second week of LADY MACBETH rehearsal. Or, as I like to call it, the “I hope I’m still funny” week. I like to compare the three weeks of rehearsal to dating. The first week, everything is fresh and new. There are mysteries to uncover. You find out what you and the rest of the cast, and even the play, have in common. It’s easy to keep up a sense of play, and everything that everyone does is charming and adorable. The whole week has a sort of glossy, happy, but completely artificial sentimental haze around it. It’s kind of like every close up of Cybill Shepherd in that old TV series MOONLIGHTING. Those of you old enough to remember will know exactly what I’m talking about. And those of you who aren’t old enough…Just put your head down on your desk and sit quietly. I feel old enough as it is.

The third week is much like a couple in a committed relationship. The puppy love has burned away, and you realize the work that it takes to maintain the relationship. And for the most part, you’re up to it. You’ve known each other long enough to see trouble coming, and head it off if you can. If you can’t, you’re a team. You can handle it together.

But that second week…Oy. That’s when all of the heavy lifting happens. Those places in the script that killed just a few days ago don’t seem to get the response they used to. “Is it me? Am I not as funny and talented as I thought I was? Nahhh, that’s just crazy talk. It’s totally them.” You start to fear that you’re just not smart enough to be in this play. Any second now they’ll realize you don’t know what you’re doing, and let you go. You stumble around the stage for the first time without the safety blankey of the script in your hand; trying to remember your words, where you stand, where you move, and who you’re supposed to be talking to. And if you’re feeling really cocky, you might just try to make that random assortment of words tumbling out of your mouth make some sort of sense. But, if you hang in there, and the week progresses, things start to get better. After working a scene you may have the opportunity to say to yourself, “Hey! That went well. I remembered like 75% of my words. Plus, I didn’t knock anything over this time!”

That’s the beauty of the second week. Thing get better because you put the work in. As a team, you made it better. You stop worrying about yourself, and start connecting with all of the talented people out there with you. You start to realize “Oh, that’s what that means! That’s why I say what I say later in the show. Okay.” And I can tell you, if you’re lucky enough to be a part of a cast as talented as this one, you thank your lucky stars. Take my word for it, these folks got game. Don’t believe me? Come see for yourself.

So, that’s essentially what the second week is. You start it with only the slightest idea of what you’re doing. But after some hard work, cursing, and in my case, copius amounts of sweat, you come out with the framework for one hell of a show. Bring it on week three. We can handle it.

LADY MACBETH by Aden Ross runs October 27-November 6. Purchase tickets here.

Michelle Peterson

Michelle Peterson makes her Plan-B debut in LADY MACBETH.

What fun to be in an Aden Ross comedy! I have had the unique opportunity to have created two roles in previous Aden Ross plays: Camille Claudel in K-MILLE and Anne Bronte in FF: THE BRONTES.

Aden is so wonderful to work with, because despite the fact that she’s spent considerable more time inhabiting her characters than the actor ever will, she takes such joy in exploring and sharing the journey with the actors, being open to their interpretations and discovery. In that regard, she is extremely generous with her actors!

While all of her female characters are intriguing – strong, fascinating historical characters, Lady Macbeth brings quite a new level to that! Obviously her namesake has all of those characteristics, but this Lady M brings layers of multiple aspects of various political leaders. It’s a little like peeling the layers of an onion, discovering the “inspiration” for her lines; while many are funny, they are simultaneously frightening in their relevancy to today’s political climate. And like an onion, will possibly bring tears to your eyes for both the comedy and the tragedy in the truth that is revealed.

At the end of the first week of rehearsal, I am awed by the talent I get to work with – it’s so much fun watching how everyone is bringing Aden’s wit and intelligence to life, in the guise of Shakespeare.

LADY MACBETH by Aden Ross runs October 27-November 6. Purchase tickets here.

Michelle Peterson

Michelle Peterson makes her Plan-B debut in LADY MACBETH.

What fun to be in an Aden Ross comedy! I have had the unique opportunity to have created two roles in previous Aden Ross plays: Camille Claudel in K-MILLE and Anne Bronte in FF: THE BRONTES.

Aden is so wonderful to work with, because despite the fact that she’s spent considerable more time inhabiting her characters than the actor ever will, she takes such joy in exploring and sharing the journey with the actors, being open to their interpretations and discovery. In that regard, she is extremely generous with her actors!

While all of her female characters are intriguing – strong, fascinating historical characters, Lady Macbeth brings quite a new level to that! Obviously her namesake has all of those characteristics, but this Lady M brings layers of multiple aspects of various political leaders. It’s a little like peeling the layers of an onion, discovering the “inspiration” for her lines; while many are funny, they are simultaneously frightening in their relevancy to today’s political climate. And like an onion, will possibly bring tears to your eyes for both the comedy and the tragedy in the truth that is revealed.

At the end of the first week of rehearsal, I am awed by the talent I get to work with – it’s so much fun watching how everyone is bringing Aden’s wit and intelligence to life, in the guise of Shakespeare.

LADY MACBETH by Aden Ross runs October 27-November 6. Purchase tickets here.

Aden Ross

Aden Ross wrote LOVE RUNS UPHILL for Plan-B’s inaugural SLAM. That short play was developed into AMERIKA, which Plan-B produced in 2006. That production also toured to Toronto’s Fringe Festival. Her new play, LADY MACBETH, opens our 2011/12 season.

LADY MACBETH is the 25th play I’ve had produced and is, I hope, the funniest full-length piece I’ve written. This is not to say that I personally feel cheery about the current political situation, but Shakespeare, my lifelong inspiration, didn’t either. In many ways, his portrayal of Falstaff, one of his greatest comic creations, is deeply cynical, if not downright hopeless.

Having taught Shakespeare to college students for over twenty-five years, I should have remembered that he always gets it right. After all, one of his last plays was not the savage and bitter KING LEAR but the comic and forgiving TEMPEST. As Walpole famously said, “The world is a comedy to those who think, a tragedy to those who feel.” Comedy is also the best revenge – and certainly a lot more fun.

What is the relationship between laugh-out-loud comedy and gut-wrenching tragedy? A glib response is that, without salt, one cannot taste sugar; or without the chiaroscuro of shadows, one cannot see the light. A different glib response is to divide comedy into manageable types: Horatian satire (let’s try gently to correct human behavior), romantic comedy (let’s all get married), Juvenalian satire (let the bastards eat each other), tragicomedy (let’s call THE WINTER’S TALE something), absurdist comedy (let’s wait awhile longer for Godot) – the list goes on and on.

My first version of LADY MACBETH was angry and frustrated. At that time, I tended to blame George W. Bush for the unconscionable greed, preposterous policies, and general incoherence that pervaded American politics. Silly me.

Possibly I fine-tuned LADY MACBETH as a comedy because I was tired of ranting seriously about the corporate takeover of America, of windbag promises from the BushClintonBushObama machine, of all the boys and girls in politics who merely exchange costumes and update a few catchy phrases to justify their self-serving and usually disastrous agendas.

As Gertrude Stein chuckled, “There ain’t no answer. There ain’t going to be any answer. There never has been an answer. That’s the answer.”

To which I would add, “So we might as well laugh.”

LADY MACBETH by Aden Ross runs October 27-November 6. Purchase tickets here. Read more from Aden in the current issue of Catalyst Magazine.