Was thinking about this production of Macbeth that my mom was telling me about that I think more Shakespeare nerds need to know about because it's makes me laugh every damn time. So my mom and dad were seeing a Shakespeare in the Park production of Macbeth, and according to my mom, it was pretty bad for the first 3 acts. Just not a very good production.
But then, during Act 4, Scene 2 (the part where Macbeth kills Macduff's family), something changed that made my mom remember this as one of her favorite productions of Macbeth.
When it wasn't busy being boring, the production as a whole was slightly over the top and even a bit campy. They also had some pretty crappy props, which made the whole thing seem even more ramshackled.
Some of you may or may not remember this, but in the scene where the family is getting murdered, Lady Macduff is either pregnant or holding a baby. In this production, they chose to go with the baby. But the fake baby they chose was made of what was likely rubber.
During the murder scene, one of the actors grabbed the baby out of Lady Macduff's arms as she was getting murdered, held it up by the leg, and slammed the doll over a rock. However, that thing was made of rubber, so instead of just flopping over or something, it bounced back.
With a full on cartoonish "BOING."
The audience burst out laughing.
So for the rest of the show, the actors slightly leaned into the goofiness, and went from a mediocre play to an absolutely hilarious comedy.
I honestly want to see comedy versions of Shakespearean tragedies. Imagine a full production of dark comedy Macbeth. Romeo and Juliet campy soap opera. I already saw a really funny one-woman-show of King Lear. Just, more comedic Shakespearean tragedies.
