Macbeth

by Bernice W. Kliman, Jim Bulman (Series Editor), Carol Chillington Rutter (Series Editor)

In this expanded analysis of Macbeth in performance, Bernice W. Kliman examines a number of major productions of the play on stage and screen, inviting the reader to contemplate and compare directors' and actors' choices for what is arguably Shakespeare's most compelling play. Kliman's in-depth analysis of Orson Welles's 1948 film version as well as his earlier stage production, Roman Polanski's famous film, and several different television versions from America and Britain offers an invaluable guide to the most prominent performances across a range of media. She also considers Yukio Ninagawa's staging, which provides an exciting and novel Japanese perspective on the play for Western audiences.

Genres: Shakespeare

256 pages, Paperback

First published November 1, 1992

Reviews

[Celestine Woo · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is brilliantly written. You have to be a fan of Shakespeare performance history; if you're not, it is likely too detailed for your liking, but then you can skim through and zero in on the parts you want to. For those of us who are obsessed with performance history, this is not only a treasure trove of detail, thoroughly researched, but Kliman's analysis is amazingly incisive and useful in its comparative interpretations. Kliman has written most of it, but she incorporates chapters co-written by Graham Bradshaw (on opera) and Paul Harvey (on Shakespeare in Japan), both of which are revelatory. Her solid knowledge of Macbeth is very apparent as she takes us through the intricacies and emotional implications of performance choices on both stage and screen. She begins with Davenant and Betterton and analyzes seminal film productions, such as Orson Welles's "voodoo" interpretation; she closes with Raul Julia in the NY Shakespeare Festival production at the Public Theater in 1990. She provides an appendix with key performancees, dates, venues, directors, and major actors.

I was fortunate enough to know Bernice Kliman, who was a delightful person and formidable scholar. This compact, vivid volume is exciting reading for anyone who delights in theatre and film history, and a testament to her incisive vision and eloquence of expression.