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PHOTO COURTESY OF SHAKESPEARE IN THE PARKING LOT

VOTE FOR ME. Christopher Cantrell is MacBeth in Shakespeare in the Parking Lotâ??s next production.

â??MacBethâ?? transformed into modern political commentary

By John Larson

William Shakespeare wrote â??MacBethâ?? 400 years ago. The playâ??s themes of power and savage ambition are as relevant as ever to a group of local thespians.

Kristie Worthey of local drama troupe Shakespeare in the Parking Lot has been observing how early the 2008 presidential campaign ramped up, with candidates criss-crossing the country giving speeches and raising funds. A while back, she heard something on the news that sparked her imagination. Wondering how MacBeth would operate were he a White House hopeful, she and other members of the troupe placed the play within the context of modern American politics.

The full production will be in November. Leading up to the performances are a series of â??campaign stops.â?? â??We are calling them whistle stop tours,â?? Worthey said. Christopher Cantrell, who plays MacBeth, and Samantha Underwood, who plays Lady MacBeth, are making the rounds at public events around town. They do bits of dialogue from the play as though they were answers to questions about their political agenda.

â??And they do get asked a wide variety of questions,â?? said Worthey, who will direct the play. Passersby ask them about the pressing issues of the times, such as the war in Iraq and health care. Lady MacBeth is often asked about issues of particular concern to women. â??It is interesting to see how people interact with them,â?? Worthey noted.

Several of those in the cast of eight are rather political, and all have enjoyed offering their input, she said. â??Everybody jumped in with different ideas.â??

The plot of MacBeth lends itself well to the context of modern politics, â??in an odd sort of way,â?? Worthey said. Some of the bloodier parts of the plays will be presented as behind-the-scenes political negotiations, for example. â??It lends itself well to the same kind of language. It is extremely easy to work with.â??

Some of the scenes will be done as television newscasts. One character will be a White House intern who possesses much insider information.

Cantrell and Underwood will be at Art on the Ave July 8. On July 20, character witches from the play will be at Kingâ??s Books for a party celebrating the release of the new Harry Potter book. The witches will serve as political prognosticators, a takeoff on modern pollsters and advisers.

So far candidate MacBeth has made public appearances at a 100th monkey party, the Daffodil Parade and Urban Art Fest.

Shakespeare In the Parking Lot began holding performances in 1999. The troupe aims to inspire and excite audiences of all ages to experience the works of the bard.

With a motto of â??Take the fear out of Shakespeare,â?? the group stages its plays in venues not commonly used for drama, from parking lots to parks.

They often add modern twists to Shakespeare, be it pop music, wild wigs and creative costumes.

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