MACBETH BARES ALL

[wakeupamerica]

* Business
* Church
* Culture
* Education
* Legal-Courts
* Missions
* National Security
* Persecution
* Perspectives
* Politics-Gov't


A Shakespearean tragedy - 'Macbeth' bares all
Pete Chagnon - OneNewsNow - 1/8/2009 8:00:00 AMBookmark and Share

WARNING: The following story contains material not suitable for children.



The Chicago Shakespeare Theater's production of Macbeth left one audience member outraged over some surprising content.



MacbethLaurie Higgins, the director of the division of school advocacy at the Illinois Family Institute (IFI), is a fan of Shakespeare and the Chicago Shakespeare Theater. But while attending a recent production of Macbeth, she was shocked when the actress portraying Lady Macbeth performed scenes topless.

Higgins says she was not warned of the partial nudity when purchasing tickets. "We purchased our tickets for this in August. Subscribers could have purchased them a year ago, and they [didn't] even know that there's going to be this kind of content," she points out. "I asked that question the evening we went, and they said they [didn't] even know that there was going to be this kind of content until about a month before opening night."

The play also included simulated sex scenes -- with one of the actors fondling Lady Macbeth's bare breasts -- and one scene was set in a strip bar with scantily clad actresses in leather thongs. In addition, the theater features special performances of Macbeth for students. Higgins asked the theater if those performances would include the questionable scenes, to which the theater replied that there would be changes, although they did not elaborate.

"I love Chicago Shakespeare Theater. I've never seen a production like this," she notes, "and I think the sponsors of this, the English teachers who are taking the students, need to call and ask very specific questions about the nature of the changes."

The student productions are sponsored by Kraft Foods and Nuveen Investments. Since IFI sent out an e-alert about the play, the Chicago Shakespeare Theater is warning patrons about the content.