Macbeth (Dramatized)

Oh, I was looking forward to this. I'm a great Shakespeare fan, and I had read a great deal about this unique solo performance. Thought I'd take a chance that something of the brilliance of this particular stage event would come through in the listening.

And, largely, it did! There just seems to be nothing that Alan Cumming cannot do! Of course, there's a bit of confusion here in not being able to watch his face and manner as he makes all the transformations, but, if you're pretty familiar with "Macbeth", it's worth the effort to imagine what it must have been like to see Cumming do it live. My greatest frustration in the listen was in fact this regret that I couldn't attend in person. Hope there will be a DVD, but I have no regrets in buying the Audible version of Cumming's "Macbeth".

Absolutely. Alan Cumming is a wonderful chameleon with a huge range which goes beyond even the fey, compelling characters that he often plays on film and stage. Here, he makes the play totally accessible. He does sincere justice to the title couple.

Of course, but especially when it's done like this.

I've listened to Leviathan and Behemoth, enjoyed them, and admired Cumming's skill, but he's working on an even higher level here.

Yes. It definitely compels repeat listening because it is so good.

I have read, seen, and taught this play many times. I wasn't sure I needed this version. I did, and I would especially recommend it to anyone who is Shakespeare phobic, or who has to read the play for school. This actor clearly knows, loves, and understands the play. After listening to him, you will, too.

I was scheduled to see "Sleep No More" in NYC and felt like I needed a serious MacBeth refresh; so I downloaded this, along with Macbeth: A Novel, which is also narrated by Alan Cummings.
If you really want a Macbeth immersion, I highly recommend both...in tandem.
The play reading has, of course, all of the gorgeous Shakespearean language, but leaves the modern listener with a lot of questions. The novelization takes some liberties and cherry-picks the Shakespeare quotes, but definitely fleshes out the story so it makes a lot more sense to those of us not born in the Elizabethan era.

Either way, Alan Cumming owns the Macbeth narrative and for good reason. He is seriously one of the most talented actors--voice or otherwise--alive today.

Listening to both play and novel definitely plunged me (like a dagger) into the whole story, which allowed me to enjoy Sleep No More all the more...if you're a Macbeth fan you'll definitely want to check it out!

Yes, this is Alan Cumming performing Macbeth solo, doing all the characters in slightly different voices.

The inspiration for this recording is Cumming's one-man theatre show in which he performed the entire play by himself. However, that production had a concept: it was built around the idea of a man in an insane asylum,re-enacting Macbeth, and was full of striking visuakl imagery.

None of that is present in the recording, so all you're left with is Alan Cumming performing Macbeth by himself. And I'm sorry to say that even Cumming doesn't have twenty different voices in his repertoire. After a while the characters blur together and it all gets rather monotonous. And he doesn't bring anything unique or original to the play.

Mind you, the way Cumming rolls his r's and the excitable way in which he reads the stage directions are almost worth the credit.

Macbeth is the ultimate Shakespeare play and to hear it performed by a Scot whose acting skill is unparalleled has been a joy.

I love Alan Cummings but I felt this was more of a reading than a dramatic interpretation. It was enjoyable but not at all like listening to a performance. More like listening to a reading in a English class.