The play Macbeth was the Filipino version of William Shakespeare’s Macbeth. The characters played their role well in communicating with the other actors and actresses. They used both verbal and non-verbal communication.
At the start of the play, the three witches were excellent in catching the attention of the audience; their scary facial expressions fitted their croaky voices; and, their gestures helped in emphasizing their characters. However, direct eye contact could not be clearly observed from them because of the red light and my seat was far from where they were. At the entire duration of the play, the witches were facing the other characters in the stage. Though we could not really see their faces, their voices were loud and clear enough to be heard.
Some of the characters of the play were high school students. Despite their age, they still did a good job, especially in delivering their lines audibly.
The lead characters, Macbeth, Lady Macbeth, Macduff, Banquo, and the rest of them used facial expressions, gestures and bodily movements to enhance their words. We could observe eye contact between the characters who were conversing; sometimes they were walking while talking. Their facial expressions of fear, anxiety, anger, or happiness were like real feelings and emotions.
In some parts of the play, their words could not be understood easily, either they were too fast or their words were not clear enough. They also used blocking, space, and distance appropriately. Macbeth and Lady Macbeth used intimate distance while the people in the gathering used social distance. They maximized the entire auditorium; they used the front stage, the isle, and the space between the front stage and the seats of the audience.
The objects that they used, the costumes, the props, and other things related to the play were simple yet meaningful. The candles and the pictures caught the eyes of the audience. The masks they used were creative and the costumes were just fit for the character. But in the use of cellular phones in the play, it was not appropriate because they showed text messaging in the scene, and the setting was not really modern.
The funny parts in the play were the scenes were they danced and the dance steps were truly unpredictable that many in the audience were laughing. The dances were creative anyway.
Overall, the play Macbeth was entertaining and informative at the same time for those who have no idea what the play was all about. It was a good example of Shakespeare’s masterpiece. —ptd
