Creators: Molly Brennan, Adrian Dunzig, and Paul Kalina
At: 500 Clown at Lookkinglass
Phone: (312) 337-0665; $20-$28
Runs through: Aug. 29
Shifting allegiances and alliances. A quest for dominion. Blood thirst. Hunger for a crown and the power it endows. Such are the bare bones of Shakespeare's Macbeth … and such are the bare bones of 500 Clown Macbeth. Except to Shakespeare's dark iambic pentameter, add a generous dose of over-the-top physical humor, mind boggling and knuckle whitening derring-do, and whip smart, inspired clowning and you have a phenomenon known as 500 Clown Macbeth.
While only three clowns are in evidence here: Shank (Paul Kalina), Bruce (Adrian Danzig), and Kevin (Molly Brennan), the laughs are abundant and so are the gasps. 497 more clowns would probably send most of the audience into cardiac arrest.
The premise here is simple: the trio of exceptionally gifted performers (comic genius and timing, physical agility, and an ability to mine the simplest moments for comedic and thought-provoking gold are but of few of their gifts) are trying to put on a version of Macbeth, but all three want to be king and it's this quest for power that draws us in and eventually undoes them. In the end, 500 Clown Macbeth is a serious work of art (witness the silence of the play's final, haunting image and you know this is not entirely about laughter and high jinks), but along the way, we're treated to some of the funniest slapstick humor since the Keystone Kops. Watch as the three scramble high on rickety scaffolding. Gasp as they are pressed under the weight of heavy pieces of detachable stage. Quiver as they come into the audience to dance bawdily and comically to the Propellerheads' 'Take California.' In their quest for the role of king, the story of Macbeth gets a serviceable adaptation and we are treated to genius performance art.
There isn't a weak link in the cast. As Kevin, the female heart of the trio, Molly Brennan brings a silly, doe-eyed innocence to her role and connects best with the audience. As she attempts to do the 'Out! Out! Damned spot!' bit, she makes eye contact with us and ropes us in with a complicit grin. Kalina and Danzig are equally good, making their athletic brand of intellectual humor resonate with humanity. The best thing is they all make this extremely demanding form of comedy look effortless. Better, they make it look like they're having a hell of a good time. As a result, so do we.