"Macbeth" on the Common: Blood and betrayal
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The stage on the Common. Photo: Tamir Kalifa for The Boston Globe via Getty Images
Inverness Castle is taking shape on the Parkman Bandstand as the Commonwealth Shakespeare Company prepares its open-air production of "Macbeth."
- This year's free Shakespeare on the Common premieres Wednesday. Performances run Tuesdays-Saturdays at 8pm and Sundays at 6pm through Aug. 6.
Details: Registration isn't required, but remember to bring blankets or chairs. Renting a chair costs around $10.
- You can bring food, but alcohol is not permitted.
Zoom in: Harvard MFA graduate Faran Tahir will play Macbeth. Shakespeare on the Common regulars might remember Tahir as Richard III in 2018.
- In an interview with GBH News this week, Tahir said there's a delicate balance between the beauty of the story and contemporary themes.
- "I'm a Brown man playing Macbeth. So how do you fold in that history without making it an agenda?... It's a nice little challenge for us," he said.
- "City on a Hill" actress Joanne Kelly plays Lady Macbeth.
The intrigue: In its description of this year’s show, the company looks to tie the classic tale of ambition and betrayal to current events, saying, "amid intense civil strife and a decaying social fabric — an insurrection takes hold."
- The company's founding artistic director Steven Maler is at the helm of this year's production.
- Maler told GBH the "urban warfare"-inspired set evokes structures that have been torn down by civil war.
Be smart: Instead of arriving at the five-act play on an empty stomach or making due with a picnic of CVS's finest foods, check out Boston Chops' special three-course prix fixe "Macbeth" menu featuring wagyu dumplings, steak or veal bolognese.
- And no groundling worth their salt would arrive at the Globe Theater sober, so head to nearby Democracy Brewing for their special "Toil and Trouble" red ale that supports the production.