Writer: Pepper Jensen
The phrase ‘untimely ripped’ comes from Shakespeare’s Macbeth. Macduff, who is ‘untimely ripped’ from the womb and therefore is not born of woman, is prophesied to kill Macbeth.
It is development week at the Golden Goose Theatre. Produced by RedSeaVeil, Untimely Ripped: The Story of Macduff, a new and original play, is Macbeth cut down from two hours to roughly an hour to give a taste of what a full-length version can look like if fully adapted to a feature film or full stage production.
This production focuses on Macduff. Shifting time from Medieval Scotland to 1970s New York City, Macduff works as a detective. He is involved in stopping the cocaine epidemic that is sweeping through the city. His life changes when he becomes suspicious of his colleague and friend, Macbeth, after a drug bust. This leads him to question the loyalty of those he trusts within the department.
Though this is a slimmed-down performance, the flow between each scene is smooth. The play follows the original Macbeth. While almost every major scene of Shakespeare’s appears in this production, the story can stand on its own without prior knowledge. This being said, as many characters are introduced quickly at the start of the play, knowing the original helps to figure out the relationships more quickly.
Indeed, the audience is typically told who shares what relationship. This erases some of the significance behind the actions. There is less of a feeling of betrayal, and instead, this story is filled with cold calculations.
Though this story starts in a manner similar to Shakespeare’s Macbeth, this play’s version already has Macbeth corrupt from the beginning. This is a tad confusing since it begs the question as to whether Macbeth always planned to become Chief, or if this idea is newly planted into his head. There are other times when the story leaves more questions than answers as the scenes move rapidly to the lacklustre conclusion.
This production is supposed to be a noir-inspired production. Macduff (Pepper Jensen) delivers various monologues as if he’s starring in a 1950s black-and-white movie. At times, this monologuing falls flat. Perhaps using an audio recording to voice his thoughts, while he investigates a crime scene or watches a scene from afar, would work better. The monologues occasionally land, but there are times he is repetitive, as audiences already know or can easily infer.
The actors do a great job at bringing the story to life. Peyton Freestone as Lady Secretary does a fantastic job presenting a sexualised, yet cunning romantic counterpart to Macbeth, who is fully involved in his schemes. When a shocking murder occurs, she portrays the betrayal and the character’s breaking point well.
Runs until 21 March 2025
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