Chicago Tribune - Recommended - Kerry Reid
"...director Nick Sandys finds subtly effective ways to bring out the threads of terror and betrayal... Sandys' approach to the story keeps the action moving at a smart pace and reveals nuances that are sometimes glossed over in flashier versions. Macbeth's exhortations to the murderers of Banquo cunningly plays off the resentments of the lower classes, making clear that they are pawns manipulated for one man's criminal ambitions. Goldberg's witch deliberately spares the life of Fleance, Banquo's son, during the attack on his father -- and Fleance reappears at play's end, sword raised, as a silent challenge to the legitimacy of Malcolm, Duncan's heir, and as a portent of more bloodshed. At risk of equivocation, I'll say it's not the most poetic or mind-bending "Macbeth," but it raises a shiver and provides some truly provocative moments amid the dark suburban woods."
Daily Herald - Recommended - Barbara Vitello
"Director Nick Sandys' solidly straightforward, deferential production maintains the tradition. Well-paced if somewhat restrained (perhaps too restrained at times), it's faithful to the play's medieval setting and temperament, which falls midway between reason and superstition. Book-ended by battles (artfully staged by Sandys, one of the area's pre-eminent fight directors) and featuring telltale sound by Miles Polaski, the production boasts some provocative choices by Sandys." Read Full Review
Sun-Times/Pioneer Press - Highly Recommended - Catey Sullivan
"...Under the stars that provide an unbeatable backdrop to First Folio's summer stage, Sandys anchors the Scottish play firmly in its ancient, heathen roots. Check out Angela Miller's stunning set as you crest the hillside on the lush grounds of the Peabody Estate. Framed by towering, crude obelisks etched with primitive outlines of weird beasts and rune-like patterns, it's evocative of both Stonehenge and the shadowlands of Osiris... all the delicious, shivery scariness it deserves... Sandys has filled the piece with blood and half-light: infants levitate, murdered mothers return with bleeding babes in arms... by the time it finishes, you'll feel as if it's the dead of night--in the best possible way." Read Full Review
"...director Nick Sandys finds subtly effective ways to bring out the threads of terror and betrayal... Sandys' approach to the story keeps the action moving at a smart pace and reveals nuances that are sometimes glossed over in flashier versions. Macbeth's exhortations to the murderers of Banquo cunningly plays off the resentments of the lower classes, making clear that they are pawns manipulated for one man's criminal ambitions. Goldberg's witch deliberately spares the life of Fleance, Banquo's son, during the attack on his father -- and Fleance reappears at play's end, sword raised, as a silent challenge to the legitimacy of Malcolm, Duncan's heir, and as a portent of more bloodshed. At risk of equivocation, I'll say it's not the most poetic or mind-bending "Macbeth," but it raises a shiver and provides some truly provocative moments amid the dark suburban woods."
Daily Herald - Recommended - Barbara Vitello
"Director Nick Sandys' solidly straightforward, deferential production maintains the tradition. Well-paced if somewhat restrained (perhaps too restrained at times), it's faithful to the play's medieval setting and temperament, which falls midway between reason and superstition. Book-ended by battles (artfully staged by Sandys, one of the area's pre-eminent fight directors) and featuring telltale sound by Miles Polaski, the production boasts some provocative choices by Sandys." Read Full Review
Sun-Times/Pioneer Press - Highly Recommended - Catey Sullivan
"...Under the stars that provide an unbeatable backdrop to First Folio's summer stage, Sandys anchors the Scottish play firmly in its ancient, heathen roots. Check out Angela Miller's stunning set as you crest the hillside on the lush grounds of the Peabody Estate. Framed by towering, crude obelisks etched with primitive outlines of weird beasts and rune-like patterns, it's evocative of both Stonehenge and the shadowlands of Osiris... all the delicious, shivery scariness it deserves... Sandys has filled the piece with blood and half-light: infants levitate, murdered mothers return with bleeding babes in arms... by the time it finishes, you'll feel as if it's the dead of night--in the best possible way." Read Full Review