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Toronto Star
4 days ago
- Entertainment
- Toronto Star
Stratford Festival's much-awaited ‘Macbeth' — with motorcycles and violent gangs — is a feeble letdown
Macbeth 2 stars (out of 4) By William Shakespeare, directed by Robert Lepage. Until Nov. 2 at the Avon Theatre, 99 Downie St., Stratford Ont. or 1800-567-1600 STRATFORD — I shudder when I think about how much money was poured into the Stratford Festival's latest 'Macbeth,' which opened Wednesday at the Avon Theatre. Inside The program of director Robert Lepage's production, created in collaboration with his company Ex Machina, is a four-page insert listing the hundreds of donors who have bankrolled this revival, which will tour to Montreal, Quebec City and Ottawa next year. Indeed, it's an expensive, extravagant and altogether epic endeavour. And yet, this highly anticipated staging amounts to nothing more than a feeble letdown, despite some glimpses of brilliance and its starry cast of Stratford favourites. ARTICLE CONTINUES BELOW Lepage sets his version of the Scottish Play in the context of the Quebec Biker War, a drug-related turf war between two motorcycle gangs that terrorized the city of Montreal for nearly a decade, leaving more than 160 people dead between 1994 and 2002. Ariane Sauvé's set drops the audience into the heart of the action. Its centrepiece is an imposing two-storey motel, frequented by Macbeth (Tom McCamus) and his fellow outlaws, dressed in leather (the costumes are designed by Michael Gianfrancesco) and riding on spiffed-up motorcycles that zoom around the stage. Impressive as this mise-en-scène is, however, Lepage's high-concept and heavily edited treatment feels like it's constantly trying to square a circle. Any attempt to draw parallels between these 'Macbeth' characters and the historical figures involved in the Quebec Biker War only proves futile. Tom McCamus as Macbeth in 'Macbeth.' David Hou/Stratford Festival Is King Duncan (David Collins) supposed to represent former Hells Angels leader Maurice Boucher? Is the story meant to depict the warring factions and hierarchy within a single group — or between two opposing gangs? None of this is entirely clear. Lepage says in his program note that any director leading a production of 'Macbeth' should 'choose a context in which contemporary audiences can better grasp the twists and turns of the intrigue and the psychological complexities of the characters.' But instead of offering clarity, his own concept — as typical of most Shakespeare productions placed in a setting that's based on a real historical event — merely adds more confusion. The most laughably ridiculous moment: when Macduff (Tom Rooney) and his gang of burly biker men start chopping down Birnam Wood to use as 'camouflage' as they stage their final attack on Macbeth. ARTICLE CONTINUES BELOW ARTICLE CONTINUES BELOW If you're able to look past these incongruities, there are bright spots to this production — at times imaginative and cheeky, throwing reverence to the wind. In particular, some of the design elements conceived by Lepage are stunning. Perhaps his greatest coup de theatre comes right at the top of the show: In his prologue, two assassins steer a small boat into the middle of the lake. In it is the traitorous Thane of Cawdor, his head tied up in a gunny sack. The men strap him to a pair of concrete blocks, then push him overboard, setting forth a chain of events that will see Macbeth driven to madness by his own ambition and thirst for power. Later on, Lepage pulls off yet another. I'm loathe to spoil what it is, but it involves a scorching scene transition between Banquo's murder and Macbeth's banquet (depicted here, of course, as a backyard barbecue cookout). There's a cinematic feel to much of this production. (After the prologue, in fact, Lepage projects a series of opening credits onto a screen at the front of the stage.) But in the end, these visual set pieces feel more like self-serving gimmicks, some of which hinder instead of help to serve the story itself. Members of the company in 'Macbeth.' David Hou/Stratford Festival Sauvé's set is so large and unwieldy that the scene transitions, particularly in the first half, take far too long, killing any sense of momentum. Those motorcycles are also so overused that by the fifth or sixth time they're rolled out, I wondered if Lepage was just trying to justify the expense of making them. A poorly conceived production of 'Macbeth' can be redeemed by a strong set of performances. But that's not the case here. Throughout, I rarely got the sense from this ensemble that they're living in a world of hypermasculinity and violence. ARTICLE CONTINUES BELOW ARTICLE CONTINUES BELOW With his deep, sonorous voice, McCamus' rather traditional take on Macbeth is cold and calculating. But though great in the first half of the play, McCamus overdoes his subsequent scenes of madness. Writhing on the floor, like a helpless creature, it feels as though he's playing a caricature of Macbeth rather than the character himself. As Lady Macbeth, Lucy Peacock delivers a performance that's similarly one of diminishing returns. She's terrifyingly domineering and manipulative early on, goading her husband into murdering Duncan and seizing the crown. Peacock's voice, almost maniacal, flirts between complete seriousness and carefree glibness. But Peacock's interpretation of Lady Macbeth's famous sleepwalking scene feels surprisingly dull, with her speech lacking both energy and a coherent through-line on opening night. From front-left: Tom Rooney as Macduff, André Sills as Ross and Austin Eckert as Malcolm with members of the company in 'Macbeth.' David Hou/Stratford Festival Graham Abbey fares far better as Banquo, Macbeth's friend-turned nemesis. But both Collins and Rooney are uncharacteristically stiff and, at times, unintelligible. (The poor sound amplification, and the fact they're all miked, is part of the problem.) Among the bikers, however, it's André Sills and Emilio Vieira who are most convincing, as Ross and Lennox, respectively. Kudos to Maria Vacratsis, as well, who plays the Porter (the motel manager in this version) and milks the laughs with her sexually charged speech in the second act. The witches (played by Aidan deSalaiz, Paul Dunn and Anthony Palermo) are portrayed as a trio of transgender prostitutes and drug addicts, scorned by Macbeth, yet whose prophesies lead to his downfall. This is a fascinating take, but one that I felt could be presented more sensitively. You really could say that about this production as a whole. Brash and bold yet lacking in its finer details, it's proof that no amount of money nor special effects can correct for a misguided vision.
Hamilton Spectator
15-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Hamilton Spectator
A musical from Tomson Highway, dancing skateboarders among NAC's upcoming lineup
A long-awaited musical from playwright Tomson Highway, a '90s take on 'Macbeth' and skateboarding stunts are among the spectacles bound for the National Arts Centre. Canada's multidisciplinary home for the performing arts released a 2025-26 lineup Thursday that includes the return of holiday favourites including Handel's 'Messiah' by the NAC Orchestra and the Royal Winnipeg Ballet's 'Nutcracker' in December. In between are dance, orchestral, pop music and drama productions from new voices and established veterans. Here's a look at some of the highlights. THEATRE Highway brings the third instalment of his 'Rez Cycle' to NAC's Indigenous Theatre program, with the world première of his musical 'Rose.' The 2003 play is set on the Wasaychigan Hill Reserve in 1992, and revisits several characters from 'The Rez Sisters' and 'Dry Lips Oughta Move to Kapuskasing.' The story here centres on Emily Dictionary and her biker pals 'as they fight to reclaim their community.' NAC says the musical has never been staged 'due to its scale and ambition.' In the English Theatre lineup, artistic director Nina Lee Aquino directs two world premières: 'Copperbelt' by Natasha Mumba, a co-production with Soulpepper Theatre about the daughter of a powerful African family caught between ambition and the cost of success; and the eco-thriller 'cicadas,' created by David Yee and Chris Thornborrow and co-produced by Tarragon Theatre, in which a very strange house sinks into the earth. The English Theatre lineup also includes Marie Farsi's stage adaptation of 'Fifteen Dogs,' André Alexis's Giller Prize-winning novel about a group of dogs suddenly granted human consciousness. The French Theatre season closes with Shakespeare's 'Macbeth,' directed by Quebec visionary Robert Lepage. The original Stratford Festival production, created in collaboration with Lepage's company Ex Machina, set the action amid the biker wars of the 1990s. ORCHESTRA Music director Alexander Shelley's final season with the NAC Orchestra opens with Giacomo Puccini's opera 'Tosca' and boasts an all-Canadian edition of the Great Performers series, including Toronto's Tafelmusik Baroque Orchestra, Quebec City-based chamber orchestra Les Violons du Roy and recitals by Calgary-born pianist Jan Lisiecki and Grammy Award-winning violinist James Ehnes. Soloists include violinists Hilary Hahn and Joshua Bell, cellist Bryan Cheng, and pianists Lang Lang, Jean-Yves Thibaudet and Hélène Grimaud. DANCE Danish choreographer Mette Ingvartsen unleashes what NAC describes as a 'zany' production dubbed 'Skatepark,' in which skateboarding thrill-seekers encounter a group of dancers. Also, Guillaume Côté and Lepage present a dance version of 'Hamlet,' the Royal Winnipeg Ballet offers up a surreal 'Hansel & Gretel' and the National Ballet of Canada presents a new work, 'Procession,' from choreographers Bobbi Jene Smith and Or Schraiber. POPULAR MUSIC AND VARIETY The Pops lineup will see singer-songwriter Martha Wainwright hit the stage Oct. 15, followed by Ariane Moffatt on Oct. 16 and Choir! Choir! Choir! on Nov. 23. There's also a tribute to Aretha Franklin featuring Broadway star Capathia Jenkins and soul singer Ryan Shaw, Troupe Vertigo fuses acrobatics and symphonic music, and live concerts of film scores from 'The Muppet Christmas Carol' and 'Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl.' International artists include the Manchester-based instrumental trio Gogo Penguin on Oct. 17, the Soweto Gospel Choir on Nov. 29 and an onstage conversation and food demonstration with British chef, restaurateur and food writer Yotam Ottolenghi on March 1, 2026. This report by The Canadian Press was first published May 15, 2025.
Winnipeg Free Press
15-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Winnipeg Free Press
A musical from Tomson Highway, dancing skateboarders among NAC's upcoming lineup
A long-awaited musical from playwright Tomson Highway, a '90s take on 'Macbeth' and skateboarding stunts are among the spectacles bound for the National Arts Centre. Canada's multidisciplinary home for the performing arts released a 2025-26 lineup Thursday that includes the return of holiday favourites including Handel's 'Messiah' by the NAC Orchestra and the Royal Winnipeg Ballet's 'Nutcracker' in December. In between are dance, orchestral, pop music and drama productions from new voices and established veterans. Here's a look at some of the highlights. THEATRE Highway brings the third instalment of his 'Rez Cycle' to NAC's Indigenous Theatre program, with the world première of his musical 'Rose.' The 2003 play is set on the Wasaychigan Hill Reserve in 1992, and revisits several characters from 'The Rez Sisters' and 'Dry Lips Oughta Move to Kapuskasing.' The story here centres on Emily Dictionary and her biker pals 'as they fight to reclaim their community.' NAC says the musical has never been staged 'due to its scale and ambition.' In the English Theatre lineup, artistic director Nina Lee Aquino directs two world premières: 'Copperbelt' by Natasha Mumba, a co-production with Soulpepper Theatre about the daughter of a powerful African family caught between ambition and the cost of success; and the eco-thriller 'cicadas,' created by David Yee and Chris Thornborrow and co-produced by Tarragon Theatre, in which a very strange house sinks into the earth. The English Theatre lineup also includes Marie Farsi's stage adaptation of 'Fifteen Dogs,' André Alexis's Giller Prize-winning novel about a group of dogs suddenly granted human consciousness. The French Theatre season closes with Shakespeare's 'Macbeth,' directed by Quebec visionary Robert Lepage. The original Stratford Festival production, created in collaboration with Lepage's company Ex Machina, set the action amid the biker wars of the 1990s. ORCHESTRA Music director Alexander Shelley's final season with the NAC Orchestra opens with Giacomo Puccini's opera 'Tosca' and boasts an all-Canadian edition of the Great Performers series, including Toronto's Tafelmusik Baroque Orchestra, Quebec City-based chamber orchestra Les Violons du Roy and recitals by Calgary-born pianist Jan Lisiecki and Grammy Award-winning violinist James Ehnes. Soloists include violinists Hilary Hahn and Joshua Bell, cellist Bryan Cheng, and pianists Lang Lang, Jean-Yves Thibaudet and Hélène Grimaud. DANCE Danish choreographer Mette Ingvartsen unleashes what NAC describes as a 'zany' production dubbed 'Skatepark,' in which skateboarding thrill-seekers encounter a group of dancers. Also, Guillaume Côté and Lepage present a dance version of 'Hamlet,' the Royal Winnipeg Ballet offers up a surreal 'Hansel & Gretel' and the National Ballet of Canada presents a new work, 'Procession,' from choreographers Bobbi Jene Smith and Or Schraiber. Winnipeg Jets Game Days On Winnipeg Jets game days, hockey writers Mike McIntyre and Ken Wiebe send news, notes and quotes from the morning skate, as well as injury updates and lineup decisions. Arrives a few hours prior to puck drop. POPULAR MUSIC AND VARIETY The Pops lineup will see singer-songwriter Martha Wainwright hit the stage Oct. 15, followed by Ariane Moffatt on Oct. 16 and Choir! Choir! Choir! on Nov. 23. There's also a tribute to Aretha Franklin featuring Broadway star Capathia Jenkins and soul singer Ryan Shaw, Troupe Vertigo fuses acrobatics and symphonic music, and live concerts of film scores from 'The Muppet Christmas Carol' and 'Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl.' International artists include the Manchester-based instrumental trio Gogo Penguin on Oct. 17, the Soweto Gospel Choir on Nov. 29 and an onstage conversation and food demonstration with British chef, restaurateur and food writer Yotam Ottolenghi on March 1, 2026. This report by The Canadian Press was first published May 15, 2025.
CBS News
16-04-2025
- Entertainment
- CBS News
250 years later, 2 men to embark on recreating Paul Revere's ride from Boston
The 250th anniversary of Paul Revere's famous midnight ride to warn that the British were coming will take over Boston on April 18. The trek will be re-enacted by two men, one by foot the other by horse. "There will be many around here. There will be many around Old North Church and the Revere House," said Michael Lepage, the actor who will be portraying Revere on foot. "When I was very little, my mother read me the poem by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, and I was captivated by it as a boy." Lepage will leave Paul Revere's home in the North End and walk his way to Old North Church before reaching the pier. It was inside Old North Church that Robert Newman, the church sexton, lit two lanterns to signify that the British troops were coming by sea. "I hope in the future it is written properly that the signals in that belfry, in that steeple, were not to me, they were from me," said Lepage, speaking in character. "It's amazing that years later I would send others up to the steeple of this church to warn others in the country side of Charlestown. It was in case I did not get out of Boston." Once Lepage reaches the water, he will join other period actors in a boat and row across the river to Charlestown. It is there that he his particular journey will end, as Lepage is learning to ride a horse, but he has yet to master it for the full ride. "This summer I am indeed going to take lessons to ride a horse to be the full Paul Revere," said Lepage. "There will be a man dressed pretty much like I am, and we'll have some sort of an exchange, and he will get on the horse and he will gallop off." The horseback Paul Revere is First Sgt. Matthew Johnson of the National Lancers. "They are the Mass. Organized Militia, they fall under the purview of the National Guard," explained First Sgt. Johnson. He has been doing the reenactment ride for 29 years, but has only been with his horse, Law, for the past three years. "As long as you get them in a certain gait or speed, you work to keep them there," said First Sgt. Johnson, "After Charlestown, it's probably about another 17 miles or so." On the night of the anniversary, he and Law will only be riding down Main Street in Charlestown as part of a shorter route. On April 21, the pair will ride the full trek from Boston to Lexington as part of another reenactment that will also see another rider portray soldier William Dawes. Dawes also rode that night to warn that the British were coming.
New York Times
16-04-2025
- Automotive
- New York Times
With NASCAR Alumni Network, drivers who felt forgotten find an open door
When Kevin Lepage walked away from NASCAR following a 20-year career that spanned more than 550 national series starts, he didn't get so much as a phone call from anyone. So it didn't surprise Lepage when he ran into another former NASCAR racer a few years ago and found they had a shared experience. Advertisement 'They didn't care about me when I was there, and they didn't care about me when I left,' Lepage said he was told. But earlier this month, when making his first visit to a NASCAR race since his 2014 retirement, Lepage said he'd changed his outlook due to a new initiative called the 'NASCAR Alumni Network.' He grinned as he spoke about the experience of walking back into the garage area for the first time in more than a decade, getting handshakes and back slaps from old friends while fans approached to get their pictures taken with him. 'All these years later, for NASCAR to come up with this program and to see how well it's run, to me it's saying, 'Thanks,'' Lepage said. That's special to drivers like Lepage, many of whom had fallen through the cracks in NASCAR until recently. He won twice in NASCAR's second-tier Xfinity Series over 350 races but also made more than 200 Cup Series starts. He didn't have a Hall-of-Fame career, but it was also far from anonymous. Lepage said he did everything asked of him over the years — autograph sessions and interviews and souvenir trailer visits and charity softball games and golf tournaments. 'I gave my heart and soul to NASCAR,' he said. 'I did all the stuff they needed.' But in the end, it felt thankless. When his career vanished, so did Lepage. That's where the NASCAR Alumni Network comes in. Thanks to the year-old initiative, former drivers, crew chiefs and owners who invested their time and energy into NASCAR (with a minimum of 100 national series starts) are now being welcomed back — with the doors flung wide open. It began when Amber Wells, a longtime NASCAR employee who manages incoming NASCAR Hall of Fame classes, realized the company's database of former drivers was sorely lacking. Some of the contact information was still stored on paper Rolodexes. In 2023, Wells was tasked with tracking down retired racers to inform them they'd been selected to NASCAR's 75 Greatest Drivers list — except it was difficult to locate phone numbers even for drivers as high-profile as two-time Daytona 500 winner Sterling Marlin. Advertisement 'Nobody knew where he was,' Wells said. 'That group of guys, when they walked out of the garage or stepped out of the race car, they weren't able to stay connected. I don't think it was ever an intentional thing, I just think we move so fast, and there wasn't a place within the NASCAR walls that owned the responsibility for that connection.' So Wells began circulating the idea of an Alumni Network, which quickly gained backing from NASCAR chairman Jim France and senior advisor Mike Helton — two of the most passionate advocates of the NASCAR legacy. Wells was named executive director, and the first event was held during NASCAR's 'Throwback Weekend' at Darlington Raceway in South Carolina last spring with a follow-up at the same track in early April. 'Like anything within NASCAR, I was able to get it in front of the right people who listened and gave us the support and the platform to be able to do this,' Wells said. 'It's just having the bandwidth and the capacity to be able to facilitate it. And it's fun and rewarding, because you talk to guys like Lepage and he's just like, 'Oh my gosh, this is great.' It's making people feel special.' Part of that feeling was deciding how to welcome former drivers back to the track. In NASCAR, there are two different types of passes that give access to the garage and pit area — a single-event VIP pass and a 'hard card,' which is good for the entire season and skips a visit to the credential line outside the track. Hard cards cost more than $3,000 (yes, even current Cup Series drivers have to pay), but NASCAR decided to give free hard cards to its Alumni Network members. 'All the things we went through for this sport, we expected to just get this sent to us without asking (in years past),' 18-time Cup Series winner Geoff Bodine said, grasping his Alumni Network hard card. 'But there was a time when we had to beg. What they've done now is say, 'Come on, the tracks are open to you.'' The new @NASCAR Alumni is incredible 🏁 THANK YOU @ChipWile and Amber Wells and team 💯 — Kenny Wallace (@Kenny_Wallace) May 11, 2024 Wells said one reason to go with hard cards for the alumni was because much of the feedback from former drivers was along the lines of, 'I don't even know who to contact to get a pass.' NASCAR wants the alumni to be as visible as possible, so Wells said it was important to 'give them that easy pathway to get back to a racetrack.' Advertisement That's important, because former drivers like Lake Speed — who hadn't been to a race in years — said the old, familiar anxiety about race traffic and finding where to pick up passes and park were potential roadblocks he had to shake off before arriving. 'It was like, 'Is this going to be any fun, or is it going to be a real pain?'' Speed said. 'It turned out to be extremely good.' Part of that was due to a large, private hospitality tent where the alumni were able to gather, relax and share old stories. It felt like a family reunion, drivers said, with Speed quipping the best part was seeing everyone together at a time when 'it wasn't for a funeral.' Said Bodine: 'We didn't like each other. When you're in competition, I don't care if it's in pool or racing or pickleball, you want to beat them. Now we're just in there having fun and appreciating everybody and what they did for the sport.' The Alumni Network isn't actively recruiting new drivers to add to its existing 75 to 100 members, instead relying on word of mouth. Wells asked those in attendance at Darlington to be ambassadors for the program and tell others who may be interested to get in touch; Lepage was one of those who had received the 'Call Amber' message from a fellow driver. 'They want to stay connected, and there are a ton of opportunities we haven't even thought of yet,' Wells said. 'It is an honor for me to be the one who gets to own those relationships.' Wells hopes the Darlington gatherings will become an annual anchor event, and she has heard from drivers who missed it this year but promised to never do so again. Others have already been spreading the word among old friends that even if they haven't felt welcome since retirement, now is the time to come back. 'It makes us feel like all the times we hit the wall and all the times we weren't with our families and all the times we had to suffer through the sport, that it was worth it,' Bodine said. 'It really does.' (Photo of, from left, Kyle Petty, Richard Petty, Eddie Wood, Geoff Bodine and Kevin Lepage at a NASCAR Alumni Network event last week in Darlington, S.C.: James Gilbert / Getty Images / Courtesy of NASCAR)
