"Dunsinane" at Marin Theatre Company

This one sneaked up on us, so we went on a whim. I have to admit that lately I only venture over to Marin Theatre Company if there is a play or a performer I particularly want to see. I was intrigued by the concept and the playwright this week, so off we went to Mill Valley.

The Play

Superficially, the play is a kind of sequel to Shakespeare's "Scottish Play," Macbeth. It begins as English forces supporting the exiled Malcolm return to Scotland, disguising themselves using greenery from Great Burnham Wood to cover their charge on the castle at Dunsinane. The "tyrant" (i.e., Macbeth) is vanquished by Macduff, Malcolm assumes the throne. And now the fun begins. Because Scotland is not a nation at peace. It remains a collection of rival tribes with shifting alliances and much distrust of both leaders and outside forces. Add a couple of twists now: Queen Gruach (who we would know better as Lady Macbeth) is still alive, and represents a significant threat to Malcolm's rule.

And now we settle into an uneasy peacemaking/occupation/negotiation, as the English just want to settle the situation so it is not a threat to their northern border, and various factions in Scotland want to assume or retain control. The English, represented by General Siward, and the English Army, just want to pacify the situation and go home. But Siward won't leave in defeat--whatever that means to him--and presses onward.

And so we enact on stage the futility of bringing peace to a region using outside military force. Playwright David Grieg (a Scot, if you hadn't guessed) has adopted the British intervention in Scotland in ancient times to stand in for (take your pick) the current relationship of Scotland to the UK, The U.S. interventions in Afghanistan and/or Iraq, almost any situation in the modern Middle East, etc.

The play does get a bit bogged down (only a slight pun intended here), and could probably be trimmed a bit (it runs over 2.5 hours). But hey, that's kind of the point: this is what happens to outside forces trying to impose peace on rival tribes and clans. It's actually a pretty good illustration, and covers both the futility and the effects on both internal and external groups. It's not Shakespeare, and it's not meant to be. It's a contemporary play about current-but-also-timeless issues, and it's rather well written.

The Production

Marin Theatre Company produces this show in partnership with the Conservatory Theatre Ensemble at nearby Tamalpais High School. As a result, there are high school student both acting some of the parts on stage and apprenticing on the creative and production teams. In some ways this works very well. The young actors portraying both members of the invading English Army and young Scots bring a sense of authenticity to those roles. On the other hand, even at their best these teens can't really keep up with the professional actors, and the scenes where they have extensive lines tend to be the parts that drag the most.

That said, the professional cast is top-notch. Aldo Billingslea (Siward) is always strong, and his experience teaching and directing young actors definitely buoys the scenes he shares with the teens, especially early on. Josh Odsess-Rubin (Malcolm) and Michael Ray Wisely (Macduff) are really solid in their roles, and Daniel Duque-Estrada (Egham/Luss) has to cover more ground, but does so admirably. But the real stand-out is Lisa Anne Porter as Gruach. Whenever the queen is onstage, you know it, and you know she is up to something. She has a lot of nuance in her performance, and she brings out the best in those around her, particularly Billingslea.

The set itself is quite simple, which probably helps with a cast that is constantly flipping between specific roles and ensemble parts. And they probably could have found a more effective means of delineating scene changes than simply thumping a spear on the stage each time.

Bottom Line

I will admit that I was a bit befuddled by the time we got to intermission, but a bit of conversation with my friends gave me the insight that I was being a bit too literal and specific in my interpretation of the play. It's sort of mildly interesting as an examination of Scottish history, but once the light goes on and you start to see the situation as representative of other scenarios, including contemporary ones, the richness of the material starts to shine through. So perhaps a bit better job of widening the audience's view early on would help. But overall, I think they play is a good one.

The production definitely has some flaws--I wasn't really expecting to see a hybrid professional/student play when I arrived. I suppose a little more research would have cleared that up for me. I'm sure I would still have gone to see it, but might have had somewhat different expectations.

All in all, I like the play, and I think the production is worth seeing, as long as you recognize going in that this is not going to be a fully-professional show, and that it's probably best enjoyed with an eye toward it being something more/other than a sequel to Shakespeare's Scottish play. So I give it a provisional thumbs-up. Look beyond the amateurish bits and the pros have a lot to say here.