Global experience of stage interpretations of “Macbeth”

The specific features of directorial and acting interpretations of well-known theatrical productions of “Macbeth” served as an effective means of enriching artistic experience in the stage realisation of the tragedy by William Shakespeare. The aim of the study was to update materials from specialised literary and artistic sources regarding directorial and acting versions of W. Shakespeare’s “Macbeth” and the artistic qualities of these productions. The research identified significant characteristics of stage interpretations of the tragedy. The specificity of marionette versions of “Macbeth” was outlined, particularly in relation to the roles of the witches and Lady Macduff. Attention was given to the directorial solution of the English actor D. Garrick, marked by the psychological depth of “Macbeth” and the grandeur of Lady Macbeth. The study highlighted the directorial techniques of stage interpretation employed by the Royal Theatre actor J.Ph. Kemble, aimed at mitigating Macbeth’s guilt and excluding the actor-ghost from scenes involving him. Emphasis was placed on the experimental adaptation by the Royal Theatre actor R. Elliston for the Royal Circus, realised in the form of a pantomimic performance. The influence of a pronounced psychological dimension in the stage images of the characters was established in the production of the London actor W.C. Macready. The contribution of the creators of the most outstanding stage images of “Macbeth” in the mid-19th century – S. Phelps, C. Kean, and H. Irving – was also identified. A gradual shift was outlined from psychological deviance, the defining feature of Shakespearean tragedy productions during the Romantic period of the 19th century, towards the modernist subjectivism of the 20th century. Characteristic features of the modernised “Macbeth” by B. Jackson were specified. The study established the causes of the crisis in Shakespearean interpretation and readings of the tragedy and detailed the positive qualities of the directorial work of G.B. Shaw at the Shakespeare Memorial Theatre, featuring L. Olivier and V. Leigh. The perspective of a modernised interpretation of the great tragedy by P. Boháč and his experimental theatre company Spirtfire Company was traced. The research also clarified the aims of innovation and the methods of realisation of one of the most enigmatic interpretations of the tragedy by the director of the “Berezil” artistic association, L. Kurbas. The practical significance of the study lies in the acquisition of progressive theatrical experience in staging “Macbeth” by W. Shakespeare, the enrichment of the director’s palette of expressive stage means, and the improvement of methodological approaches to the successful adaptation of works within the tragic genre