Macbeth is a riveting character. Power-hungry. A skilled warrior determined to maintain control. Afraid to be seen as soft. A tyrant driven to brutality. Competitive. Violent. Insecure. A complex antagonist whose layers of masculinity have captivated artists and audiences for more than 400 years now.
Student actor Cecily Hansson has captured Macbeth perfectly.
Throughout history, William Shakespeare’s plays were consistently portrayed by men. LPC’s rendition of Macbeth was a gender-blind production. With two women presenting powerful leading roles, the performance gave one of Shakespeare’s iconic tragedies a new point of view. It transformed the story into lesbian literature.
LPC’s performance of Macbeth reinforced how theater is a home to all stories. Theater programs have always been a place that builds community and operates as a safe haven for creative minds. They’re also a place to reimagine life. The spirit of theater encourages aspiring actors to be free to modernize something so traditional without changing its intention — such as reimagining Macbeth as a lesbian love affair.
In this way, the production known to be a curse when mentioned in theaters winds up being a blessing of a show.
As the stage lit up with talent, so did the audience watching their loved ones put on their own version of Shakespeare’s classic. Macbeth is a tragic tale of greed, ambition and the pursuit of power. With the power in a woman’s hands, the story gained a different perspective.
“It was scary,” Hansson said. “I didn’t know how to embody a king, but it felt empowering.”
That feeling came through in Hansson’s performance. Her presence on stage was powerful. The complexity of the Elizabethan language can make it difficult to perfect, but LPC’s cast delivered.
“It was really hard. You can’t improvise Shakespeare,” Hansson said. “I wrote down every single line of the play, and learned it that way.”
Hansson did not make the role come to life on her own. Maahee Joshi, Lady Macbeth herself, did an outstanding job expressing the emotion put into Lady Macbeth’s character.
The insanity. The devastation. The toxic love between the two. Both Hansen and Joshi knew that for them to deliver a truly noteworthy performance of Macbeth to the audience, their chemistry would have to be on point. People had to think they were truly in love.
“We would experiment with different ways to show compassion and affection between a married couple,” Joshi said, “especially one that is so intertwined with each other.”
Hansen and Joshi brought exactly what their role needed, adding great depth to the show. Both were crucial in immersing the audience in their romantic relationship on stage. It provided exactly what LPC theater arts coordinator Titian Lish envisioned when she decided to pair them and push the envelope of traditional barriers.
“Why are we stuck in historical binary?” Lish said. “It doesn’t have to make sense. We can play with it.”
The theater program’s decision to challenge traditional norms of gender and sexuality gave the production a more compelling story. Provoking questions. Opening up a conversation. Attempting to find the balance between divine feminine and divine masculine. Creating an astonishing point of view with two women toxically in love with power. Inspiring women, through Shakespeare, to step out of their comfort zone unapologetically.
Women should have women as blood will have blood.
Top photo: Cecily Hansson starred as Macbeth in a production where women shined in roles traditionally filled by men. (Photo by Aaron Burg/ Courtesy of @LPCTheater)
Sydney Breckenridge is the Arts & Entertainment editor for The Express. Follow her on X, formally Twitter, @SydBreckenridge.
