Angela Iannone, one of the most widely respected Milwaukee-based theater artists, demonstrates a new facet of her talent in the world premiere of The Seeds of Banquo. Iannone wrote and directed this smartly crafted show, which intertwines the text of Shakespeare’s Macbethwith the story of real-life actor Edwin Booth. This is the fourth of Iannone’s scheduled five-part play series on Edwin Booth, who was a key figure in nineteenth-century theater.
Staged inside Milwaukee’s 80-seat Soulstice Theatre, Banquo gives audiences a rare glimpse of this historic figure (who is also known as the brother of President Lincoln’s assassin, John Wilkes Booth).
The play is set in 1870, the actual year in which Edwin Booth produced his disastrously received Macbeth. As the piece opens, Booth is chatting onstage during rehearsals with another actor. He is Lawrence Barrett (Cory Jefferson Hagen), who plays the role of Banquo. Like Shakespeare wrote of the fictional relationship between Banquo and Macbeth, Lawrence Barrett is both a friend and rival of fellow actor Edwin Booth. (Barrett is convinced that had Booth not followed in the footsteps of his father, who was also a gifted actor, it would be Barrett doing the picking and choosing of plum acting roles instead of Edwin Booth.) Into this dynamic comes a third actor (Owen Fawcett) who is performing in a play down the street. He hardly need have mentioned that his play is a melodrama, given the highly stylized acting he displays upon request (when Booth asks Fawcett to assist him with Macbeth rehearsals.) Fawcett, a heavy drinker, becomes a figure of comic relief throughout the play. In contrast to Fawcett’s “accepted” mode of acting at the time, one can easily comprehend why Booth’s introspective Macbeth was such a dud. Actor Bryan Quinn invests such energy and ingenuity into Fawcett that he creates a memorable impression of a relatively minor character.
Meanwhile, subplots abound. One involves Booth’s second wife, who is about to give birth (but is never seen). Another features an illicit romance between the married Lawrence Barrett and a pretty, aspiring actress. Named Minna, she quickly dispels one’s impression of her as a sweet young thing. It is Booth who sees Minna (played by Sasha Katharine Sigel) for what she is. As Minna tells her lover, “I only want to act with the best—and that’s Edwin Booth.” Booth tries unsuccessfully to break the bond between his friend and Minna. To prove his point about her, Booth insists on rehearsing a scene in which Minna is asked to sub in for Lady Macbeth. He allows the girl to return his sensual advances during their dialogue. Barrett, observing this, can barely hide his rage. This leads to a duel between Booth and Fawcett, who draw real swords and stage a famous fight scene (kudos to Christopher Elst’s magnificent fight choreography). Playwright Angela Iannone does a good job juggling all these elements, while also keeping the audience in suspense. We never know how much of the fight between Macbeth and Banquo is intended to duplicate the actors’ real feelings. Could this possibly be a real duel between egotistical men? Iannone uses this device again and again. In other scenes, during which Booth seems to grasp his head or stumble, the actors wonder if he’s really ill. Or is this, too, for dramatic effect? A final example is Booth’s odd insistence on not being touched. The actress playing Lady Macbeth (Marcee Doherty-Elst) arrives at rehearsal complaining about a letter Booth sent to her that insists she keep her distance from him. However, even her bold, formidable presence is no match for the wily Booth. She eventually yields to the wisdom of Booth’s approach. All this makes for a ripping good story, which keeps the audience riveted throughout its two-hour playing time. However, one cannot overlook the casting of a very young actor (John Mundshau Glowacki) in playing the key Edwin Booth/Macbeth role. Glowacki has his fine moments, to be sure. And Iannone is to be commended for showcasing young talent. But Glowacki’s age seems to work against him here. He is portraying Edwin Booth in his prime, or perhaps a bit past his prime.
One looks forward to seeing Glowacki in future roles that do not put such a strain on the audience’s sense of disbelief. And one can also anticipate more theatrical magic from Angela Iannone, who demonstrates the extent of her talent both onstage and behind the scenes.
