'Macbeth' tragedy opens Friday

Celebrate All Hallow's Eve early with the most classic ghost story of them all - William Shakespeare's "Macbeth."

"It's like the best horror movie in history," said David Weinberg, director of the upcoming Nevada Shakespeare Company production. "In simplistic terms it's a cross between 'Braveheart' and 'The Shining.'"

The company, in celebration of its 10th anniversary, is performing the dark tragedy and taking it on the road. Opening night is a first-ever performance for the company at the Dayton Valley Golf & Country Club at 6 p.m. Friday. The production then moves to Virginia City's Piper's Opera House, the company's original home theater, for a performance at 8 p.m. Oct. 23. The production wraps up with four performances at the Laxalt Auditorium in Reno at 8 p.m. Oct. 24 and Oct. 29-31.

"Macbeth" opens with three witches who encounter the title character and his fellow soldier Banquo on the road after victory in battle. They tell Macbeth he will someday be the king of Scotland. The men ignore them, but later part of the witches' prophesy becomes true. Soon Macbeth's scheming wife, the now infamous Lady Macbeth, played by Stephanie Richardson, is urging her husband to kill King Duncan, which also leads to the murder of Banquo.

There's much more, including Lady Macbeth's cries of remorse - "Out, damned spot! Out, I say!" - visits from Banquo's ghost, magic concocted by the trio of witches and a battle scene between English and Scottish forces.

Weinberg worked with a magician on the live magic and J.R. Beardsley, who has choreographed fight scenes for Japanese TV and Britain's BBC as well as Hollywood films and Las Vegas shows, is the play's fight director.

Weinberg, who grew up in Reno, lives in London where he received his Masters of Arts at the Royal Academy and is now working on his Ph.D. at the University of London. He was visiting Reno earlier this year due to a family emergency. While here, he met actor Joe Atack, who plays Macbeth, through mutual friends, and signed on to direct the play. He'll be returning to London at the end of the year.

In the meantime, he's busy staging what he believes is a unique production of the Shakespearean tragedy known as the Scottish play.

"It's the first production I know of set in the real historic time of the play, in the feudal Scotland of 1040 to 1057," said Weinberg.

And his take on the main characters may be unusual, too, Weinberg said.

"Macbeth and Lady Macbeth are often portrayed as villains," he said. "But what makes it a tragedy is that Macbeth starts the play as a noble man who turns to darkness."