Cliffs Notes: Macbeth premiered during the height of the high rolling 80’s. Presented as a cautionary tale of the 80’s, the piece juxtaposed Wall St. yuppies with punk rocker witches in a world of seething greed. Financiers murderously clamored over each other in the quest to become Masters of the Universe, while guilt seeped in through the floorboards of consciousness. The climatic Birnam Wood battle was represented as a hostile takeover carried out over cell phones.
Premiere: Dance Theater Workshop, New York City – 1988
Conception/Direction/Choreography: Jane Comfort
Text: William Shakespeare, Jane Comfort and Cliff’s Notes, with additional text by Pat Boland, John Comfort and Joe Vale
Music: Douglas Wagner and Bush Tetras
Lighting Design: Phil Sandstrom
Macbeth: Joseph Ritsch
Lady Macbeth: Rebecca Wisocky
Banquo: Bob Airhart
Macduff: Roberto DeFelice
Witches: Gina Bonati, Aleta Hayes and Laura Hornberger
