‘MACBETH’ Review: Sparse Staging Becomes a Burden in Mixed Triumph

Choosing the right opener for a theatrical season is always a fraught gamble. An opening demands ambition and momentum, all while securing trust in the audience that what follows will reward them. Boston Lyric Opera’s decision to begin its 49th season with Guiseppe Verdi’s “MACBETH” is bold. The operatic adaptation of Shakespeare is dense and psychologically charged, carrying the legacy of some of literature’s most compelling and recognizable characters.

Directed by Steve Maler and conducted by David Angus, BLO’s “MACBETH” ran for two nights at the Emerson Colonial Theatre, Oct. 10 and 12. In contrast to the story’s complex themes of moral corruption, the production’s most striking aspect was its sparse visual design. While the restrained staging invited intimacy and allowed the supporting cast’s arias to shine, the production often faltered under its own minimalism. A concept rich in promise, BLO’s “MACBETH” was undone by uneven execution and vague direction.

The story of “MACBETH” itself follows a familiar arc. General Macbeth (Norman Garrett) and his wife (Alexandra LoBianco), seduced by the witches’ prophecy, murder King Duncan (Léon Jerfita) and Macbeth’s friend and fellow general Banquo (Zaikuan Song), to seize and secure the crown of Scotland. The power-hungry couple descend into murderous paranoia as Banquo’s ghost haunts their consciousness, while nobleman Macduff (David Junghoon Kim) seeks vengeance and justice.

Designed by Amy Rubin, the visual world of BLO’s “MACBETH” was a rotting wasteland. The stage was nearly bare with multiple gray panels with speckles of blood and mold circled the floor. The panels were static, except for some with cut-in doors that allowed the actors to enter the stage. There were no opulent thrones or ornate chambers, only wooden, rotting furniture piled at the corners. The Founding Artistic Director of Commonwealth Shakespeare Company, Maler not only brought his Shakespeare expertise, but was influenced by the large-scale and war-scarred landscapes of German artist Anselm Kiefer. The abstracted, evocative set gestured towards a kingdom already hollowed out by corruption.

The starkness of the stage cleared the space for the music and the human figure to dominate. It amplified the Colonial Theatre’s natural acoustics, fitting the melancholic tone of the arias and the softer textures of the orchestra. Verdi composed “MACBETH” using the “sotto voce” technique, a performance direction meaning “under the voice,” which emphasizes singing using quiet dynamics for emphasis. The BLO’s visual sparseness was especially effective at highlighting the hushed tones in Banquo’s only solo, “Come dal ciel precipita.” As Banquo fears for his family’s future under Macbeth’s bloodlust, Song’s performance was both dark and thoughtful, serving as a chilling moral anchor.

This atmosphere of unrest was emphasized with subtle precision by lighting designer Eric Southern. Cool, angled beams carved silhouettes from the darkness. Cross-lights split the singers’ faces between guilt and action. Single spotlights isolated Macbeth and his wife, while the surrounding court dissolved into gloom.

Reinforcing the production’s muted palette, Amanda Gladu’s costume design was dominated by off-whites, grays, and washed-out browns that visually merged the characters with the corroded, blank walls behind them. Lady Macbeth’s gown, though a pale and noble-looking garment, was weighed down by dirt and wear.

Though the lighting and costume design were striking and aesthetically cohesive, repetition blunted their power. Scenes relied on the same palette of gray-blue shadows and stark white fabrics speckled with dirt, a limited vocabulary that made it difficult to distinguish the stakes of politics and class divides in the opera. This problem extended to set pieces as well. The same furniture was used for both the peasants and the monarchs. When climaxes arrived, the lack of scenic and dynamic contrast dulled their impact.

In this landscape of visual repetition, even when new, compelling ideas were introduced, they weren’t fully developed. Such a moment of tension happened at the beginning of Act 3, when Macbeth goes to talk to the chorus of witches for a second time. There, he receives the final piece of the prophecy that eventually leads to his demise. The chandelier used in previous acts to light up ballroom and royal scenes was brought down to serve as the witches’ cauldron. A thought-provoking staging choice, the double use of the chandelier spoke to the shared psychological power of the royal court and the witches over Macbeth’s consciousness. Yet this visual language wasn’t further referenced in the opera, raising questions as to why it was used in the first place.

The larger choral and ensemble scenes revealed the limits of Maler’s static concept. When the witches or soldiers crowded the stage, the direction lost precision. The chorus tended to move as a mass without internal logic, blurring the lines between the different political formations.

Contrasting the ensembles, Kim’s solo performance as Macduff was the standout from the evening and provided much-needed depth. Kim commanded attention to the murder of his wife and children. His grief-laden aria “Ah, la paterna mano,” was the evening’s clearest moment of unguarded emotion. A lyric tenor of crystalline tone and focused phrasing, Kim transformed his single major aria into the evening’s moral and musical core. In a production preoccupied with silence, his resonant voice was refreshing.

Minimalist and visually unified staging can be a powerful vehicle, especially for relaying the inner emotional perturbations of the characters. However, for “MACBETH,” quests of power and political gains are as important as the psychological turmoil of its main leads, as the former highlight the decline of Macbeth and his wife. While BLO’s “MACBETH” featured impressive standalone performances, the sparse setting and lack of visual storytelling didn’t allow for the bigger conflicts of the opera to come through.

“MACBETH” ran at the Emerson Colonial Theatre on Oct. 10 and Oct. 12.

—Staff writer Erlisa Demneri can be reached at erlisa.demneri@thecrimson.com.