Meet the MacBeths

Mac and Betty are a charming Better-Homes-and-Garden couple who plot murder plans over pot roast. Shakespeare visits a 1950s suburban utopia to unfold how far an ambitious duo will go for the American Dream.

Minnesota Fringe Festival Showcase clip of "Meet the Macbeths":

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"MUST SEE SHOW!" Pioneer Press
It's the 1950s, the American suburbs are expanding, and so are the ambitions of Mac and Betty. This very funny adaptation of Shakespeare's murderous tale borrows the smarmy tone of "Leave It to Beaver" and "Ozzie and Harriet," but newlyweds Joshua Iley and Lauren Iley-Spear mix the Bard's poetry into their own snappy sitcom banter. The believable characterizations are key to its success, particularly Iley-Spear as a kind of Lady Macbeth re-imagined by Neil Simon, one who can express equal exasperation at her husband not taking out the trash or murdering his boss when she asks him to.

-Rob Hubbard


TYING the KNOT SIX DAYS BEFORE OPENING NIGHT:
A COUPLE EXPLORES SHAKESPEARE and MARRIGE
AT the MINNESOTA FRINGE

Lauren Spear and Joshua Iley are spending their honeymoon performing "Meet the Macbeths" at the Minnesota Fringe Festival. Although the timing wasn't intentional, Lauren and Josh have found that being on the brink of getting married has brought a whole new layer to the creation of their show.
"Meet the MacBeths" is a portrayal of the Shakespearean characters, Macbeth and Lady Macbeth, played out in a 1950s suburban utopia. Lauren and Joshua began creating their play with the Shakespearean text and investigating the two characters in light of 1950s domestic life and the ideals that husbands and wives were expected to uphold. In doing so, they found they were exploring questions about marriage that applied to the characters and their own life, which began to feed how they were going to tell the story of the Macbeths.
Fortunately, the levels of dysfunction, manipulation, and violence found in the relationship between Macbeth and Lady Macbeth don't apply to Lauren and Joshua's real life relationship. However, Lauren and Josh found that at the core of the Macbeths is a commitment to each other, a commitment to a better life, and a couple who pushes each other to reach their potential.
While Lauren and Joshua admit to having more on their plate then they are used to, they are very excited to be wrapping up their wedding week with a show that's got their own comedic personal stamp on it and that's part of the Minnesota Fringe Festival. This is their second time producing a show for the festival; although, this will be the first show (ever) where they've performed with each other.

Showtimes

Fri., Aug. 1 @ 10:00 p.m.
Sat., Aug. 2 @ 7:00 p.m.
Mon., Aug. 4 @ 5:30 p.m.
Thu., Aug. 7 @ 8:30 p.m.
Sat., Aug. 9 @ 5:30 p.m.

Show details

Venue: Lab Theater

Duration: 60 minutes

For ages 13+

Website: www.meetthemacbeths.com

Genres: Comedy

Overall rating

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User reviews

Creative & promising, but unsatisfying
by Florence Brammer Follow this reviewer
Rating 3 kitties
This started out very strong -- I loved the set design, the performers looked and sounded great, and the transplant of Macbeth's themes of greed, power and just place craziness to a contemporary corporate and suburban context seemed promising. However, I would have liked for the story to have been more overtly adapted for the contemporary setting. I felt that, too often, there was simply standard text (although well-chosen and well-delivered, to be sure) presented in front of a contemporary set design. For example, toward the beginning, it was explained that the "king" meant a national-level position in a company. I wold have liked to have seen that analogy more expressly carried forward and throughout the play, with the sought-after throne then referenced as "national director" rather than reverting to monarchal terms. I'm not suggesting that this should have been a vapid, pop culture-laden parody. I just think the text could have been played straight -- with all its wonderful horror, humanity and drama -- and still have better utilized the beautifully set-up suburban and corporate milieu.

Don't let the noam see!
by Taylor Marshall-Miernicki Follow this reviewer
Rating 3 kitties
enjoyable, but lacking. there was something missing - action. there was talk, a lot of talk, but no action to back it up. you sit for an hour and watch this couple talk to...god(?), and murder their way to the top. the ending wasn't as clear as it could have been. i was expecting more.

This is brilliant
by Sherry Larson Follow this reviewer
Rating 5 kitties
Clever, witty and well acted what more could you ask for.

Best Play
by allan veldey Follow this reviewer
Rating 5 kitties
This is the best play I've seen in the Fringe. The acting is first rate. The script is sharp and witty. It was a thoroughly enjoyable performance.

Interesting
by Dave Larson Follow this reviewer
Rating 4 kitties
This has an interesting concept and it's fairly well done, but with a couple of issues. First, the woman was hard to understand at a few points, so some jokes were lost. Second, the "voice of God" was taped, and the timing with the actors was a bit off. A live voice would have been better.

Great show!
by Kara Garbe Follow this reviewer
Rating 5 kitties
Excellent, witty, superbly acted... Lauren and Josh are both great actors with wonderful chemistry. Highly recommended!

well written but
by julie fossell Follow this reviewer
Rating 4 kitties
I felt like this was a well written show and had talented actors but I just didn't connect with them as much as I had anticipated. Some of this had to do with the venue's large size I'm sure. Still very worth seeing

Polished
by Richard Peach Follow this reviewer
Rating 5 kitties
One of the most polished performances in this years fringe. The timing was spot on, with the non-verbal performance as exciting as the verbal. Without the quotes from the original it would look like a modern take on the pressures to succeed at any cost.

Perfect balance
by Jerome Marzullo Follow this reviewer
Rating 5 kitties
While it's helpful to have some familiarity with the original text, it is by no means necessary to enjoy this piece. I saw it Saturday with a non-"theater-person' who found the seamless integration of contemporary and Shakespearean dialogue enjoyable and easy to follow. Josh and Lauren find what I thought to be a perfect balance of comedy with a serious undertone. It was clever without ever being cute, witty without ever becoming trite, and even if one is not well-versed with the play (implausible but not impossible) it was easy to imagine the off-stage scenes which moved the story along. Mac's struggle between his lust for power and the attendant doubt and guilt about the price of that power, and Betty's transformation from loving 50's wife to crazed catalyst for Mac's actions, was done with impeccable comic timing and a concise script. Do see this if you can.

Very Well Put Together...Not to miss!
by Dylan Frederick Follow this reviewer
Rating 5 kitties
Both Lauren and Joshua Iley carried this show extremely well but I was mostly impressed with the script, the staging and the transitions between Shakespeare text and the 1950's suburban dialogue.

Unfortunately, there was a very small audience tonight. I am hoping this has to do with it's late performance time. But none the less, everyone I spoke to in the small crowd really seemed to have enjoyed it.

See this show. It's really great.

The scotttish play...
by Anders Nerheim Follow this reviewer
Rating 5 kitties
...certainly brings no bad luck here. This show is absolutely wonderful. Both actors take their characters (and the audience) on a journey. You see the change in both characters through out the show, which is not an easy thing to accomplish, especially in under an hour. With a great balance of modern speech and the original Shakespearean script this show is a must see for any fringe fan.

The Voice in the Sky syas...
by Kale Ganann Follow this reviewer
Rating 5 kitties
By setting Macbeth in suburbia this play does something amazing with Shakespeare's text. It is a complete focal shift from the original text that will only add insight to the original play.

You see, Macbeth is a political tragedy. It is about a husband and wife mucking up the gears of the political system for greed and gain. The thing is, when you see Macbeth, the focus is almost universally on the political rumblings and the possibly supernatural occurances around said events.

'Meet the Macbeths' makes it about a couple being caught up in those events, and the focus remains squarely on the relationship between the two - following a path of a married couple through poor choices and bad situations until a moment of clarity is reached.

The selections brought from the original text are picked with exquisite care, and the original writing that surrounds it is snappy and perfectly pitched. The performers understand their material intimately, bringing out their characters with every word, gesture and look. This is top-notch material folks, and highly recommended.

If you haven't scheduled it yet, do so now. You will not regret it.

See it soon - avoid the rush!
by christopher Kemp Follow this reviewer
Rating 5 kitties
Meet the Macbeths is very well written and performed. The Ileys have done a wonderful job of intertwining Shakespeare's language with the 1950s. It was kind of Rod Serling channels Shakespeare via a 1950s classic family. A definite must see!

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