DOUBLE DOUBLE – A Meditation on Macbeth

Double Double is a wild and delightful ride through the world of Macbeth and into the land of Double Indemnity, a strange musical film noir (theatre noir?) with excellent performances by all four cast members and some quirky and exciting and fun songs.

Last week I had the true pleasure of experiencing Padua Playwrights audaciously steamroll through the Los Angeles Shakespeare Center with a sound and fury that any idiot would be proud of. Absolutely one of the most fun times I've had at the theatre, Double Double ingeniously mashes up two of the most infamous tales of murderous collusion born of passionate ambition, Double Indemnity and Macbeth. The production takes no prisoners, wickedly trolling both Los Angeles and Shakespeare in their own Center, as well as the medium of experimental theatre itself (the beginning of the play starts with an over long, over serious, over dreary, over drawn out sequence, provoking a collective "oh god, we have to watch this avant garde shit for an hour", only to dazzle us soon after.) And while all the dancing and king-killing may seem to signify nothing, Guy Zimmerman's play offers macabre relevance, relating manifest destiny from England (Macbeth) to Los Angeles (Double Indemnity) as the cultivation of a culture of "would-be Kings", destroying whatever lay in the path ahead, be it nature or fellow man, in order to feed our own fleeting ambitions. Dark stuff from Guy; vicious and terse. Enter our fabulous director Juli Crockett to sprinkle some joy and silliness into the violence pot. The show is segmented into vignettes of ecstasy and irreverence that keeps the audience on its toes, wondering what was just witnessed, laughing all the while, only to piece the puzzle together during the uber ride home. The cast as a whole deliver with vigorous precision and seductive focus. The hyper-skilled Shaughn Bucholtz is magnificent as the crippled, adulterous, alcoholic, toe-tapping, MC'ing Macbeth. His three accompanying Barbara Stanwyck-Witches take him through a perilous fever dream of song and dance, choreographed by the brilliant and prolific Jessica Emmanuel. Jenny Greer brings centered focus to the coven with alluring depth in every move she makes. Henita Telo's stellar talent is undeniable as she eats the audience alive with her eyes. And Isabella Boose is a treasure to behold, a hilarious, giggly sprite with a glint in her eyes that says, "isn't all this theatre shit silly." The ensemble performs the piece with confidence and cojones. The Petal Soundsations would be proud. Bri Patillo's lighting design makes the whole affair look beautiful and 'seem' legitimate. ;) Michael Feldman's incredible live scoring is the glorious glue that holds the chaos together. This was a show to see. And must be shown again.

The sound design of this piece was amazing. The use of microphones and different textures was delightful. The whole piece feels like a very elaborate piece of music. The movement of the witches, the volume and rhythm of their speaking, and the outright dancing and singing all work together to continue to haunt me.

Padua Playwrights has done it again. Guy Zimmerman and Juli Crockett's "meditation" on Macbeth and the film noir classic "Double Indemnity" follows last year's JACK BENNY as the existential show of the year to see. The similarities in the themes - murder for benefit, seduction, greed - and the blend of characters, from Macbeth/Walter to the Three Barbara Stanwytches, create a bizarre and engrossing ride of noirish 50's tropes mixed with high-octane showstopping musical numbers. Speaking of music, the live performance of the sound effects and music by Michael Feldman is astonishing - including brilliant use of microphones (especially in a repeated foley gag with a bed of gravel). I find that I watch Juli Crockett's productions in the same way that I ride Space Mountain at Disneyland. There's so much meaning, such a fast flow of information, and such a barrage of seemingly disconnected ideas and inspirations, that simply lying back and letting everything wash over you, picking up what you can in the torrent. This is theatre as "theatre" - creating work to tickle your senses and make you think rather than simply cater some pre-packaged entertainment.

It is intelligent, superbly crafted, utterly perplexing and thoroughly entertaining, and the creative collaboration between Zimmerman and Crockett lack only a pair of capes to qualify them as the most dynamic duo you're likely to find this side of Gotham.

I had the pleasure of seeing Double Double on Thursday night, and it was everything I'd hoped it would be, and more. It's a furious fever-dream of Noir with a live music score. Macbeth meets Double Indemnity meets All That Jazz meets Eraserhead meets Nietzsche meets Pennies From Heaven. Don't walk- RUN and go see this show!

This was such a fun, raucous show! So much dedication on the part of the actors', director, musician, and crew. Not easy and they really brought it. I can't say I fully understood it, but it was like a lovely (and creepy at times) dream. Lots to think about, which I always appreciate. It was a treat to hear Guy Zimmerman's challenging, poetic text sung, too!

“He was Macbeth!” Laughs, colors, sounds, music, and whispering thoughts. The sensory experience and talent displayed by the artist made this play phenomenal. I found myself enchanted the entire way through with giggles on the tip of my tongue and my mind swirling in thought. The actors brought my focused attention to their body movements, their voices, and their eyes. Beautifully talented actors that truly engrossed the audience. On my drive home my mind wandered back to the colorful props, the playfulness between the actors micro-expressions and power-poses, and the mix of loud and soft sounds (an ASMR seekers paradise). The song numbers with the accompanying music were a huge highlight and incredibly entertaining. A great show that awoke my spirit and brought the muses of art out to play on the stage of The Shakespeare Center of LA. Thank you all for an enjoyable evening.

A spectacular twist of sweetness. What a great show! The writing, direction, audio and visual stimuli was epic! I can't wait to see this one day at Burning Man:)!