by Matthew A. Everett • July 25, 2008 • “Old bagpipe Duncan isn’t dead yet.”
(Hmmm… murderous doubletake)
“Mac and Betty are a charming ‘Better Homes and Garden’ couple who plot murder plans over pot roast. Shakespeare visits a 1950s suburban utopia to unfold how far an ambitious duo will go for the American Dream.”
Single White Fringe Geek (and Mom) is the blog of Matthew A. Everett, one of five bloggers covering the Minnesota Fringe Festival for the Daily Planet.
It’s a nice gimmick – Shakespearean text rolled up in the cliches of 1950s TV sitcoms – and the two performers clearly have the chops to pull it off. For those who like to see their Shakespeare toyed with in unusual ways, this might be just the ticket.
The video clip is on the Fringe’s YouTube page. Judge for yourself. (They got done in plenty of time, the yellow light still shining.)
And then there’s the other hook, explained on their website, www.meetthemacbeths.com
“Wait… they’re getting married six days before the Fringe Festival?!
Lauren Spear and Joshua Iley are spending their honeymoon performing Meet the MacBeths at the Minnesota Fringe Festival.
Although the timing wasn’t intentional, Lauren and Josh have found that being on the brink of getting married has brought a whole new layer to the creation of their show.
‘Meet the MacBeths‘ is a portrayal of the Shakespearean characters, Macbeth and Lady Macbeth, played out in a 1950s suburban utopia. Lauren and Joshua began creating their play with the Shakespearean text and investigating the two characters in light of 1950s domestic life and the ideals that husbands and wives were expected to uphold.
In doing so, they found they were exploring questions about marriage that applied to the characters and their own life, which began to feed how they were going to tell the story of the Macbeths. Fortunately, the levels of dysfunction, manipulation, and violence found in the relationship between Macbeth and Lady Macbeth don’t apply to Lauren and Joshua’s real life relationship. However, Lauren and Josh found that at the core of the Macbeths is a commitment to each
other, a commitment to a better life, and a couple who pushes each other to reach their potential.
While Lauren and Joshua admit to having more on their plate then they are used to, they are very excited to be wrapping up their wedding week with a show that’s got their own comedic personal stamp on it and that’s part of the Minnesota Fringe Festival. This is their second time producing a show for the festival (previously the teen show “Wrapped In Plastic” back in 2006); although, this will be the first show (ever) where they’ve performed with each other.”
Location, dates and times, and ticket info are available here
Entering his sixth year of blogging about the Minnesota Fringe Festival (and bringing Mom along for the ride as a guest reviewer), Matthew A. Everett is also a local playwright and three-time recipient of grant support from the Minnesota State Arts Board. Information on Matthew and his plays can be found at matthewaeverett.com.
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