Macbeth

By: William Shakespeare

Narrated by: James Marsters, Joanne Whalley, Josh Cooke, JD Cullum, Dan Donohue, Jeannie Elias, Chuma Gault

Length: 1 hr and 59 mins

Publisher's Summary

Infamously known as the cursed Scottish play, Macbeth is perhaps Shakespeare’s darkest tragedy. When General Macbeth is foretold by three witches that he will one day be King of Scotland, Lady Macbeth convinces him to get rid of anyone who could stand in his way - including committing regicide. As Macbeth ascends to the throne through bloody murder, he becomes a tyrant consumed by fear and paranoia.

An L.A. Theatre Works full-cast performance featuring: James Marsters as Macbeth; Joanne Whalley as Lady Macbeth; Josh Cooke as Banquo and others; J.D. Cullum as Macduff and Second Murderer; Dan Donohue as Ross; Jeannie Elias as Second Witch and others; Chuma Gault as Lennox and Servant; Jon Matthews as Malcolm; Alan Shearman as Angus and others; André Sogliuzzo as Donalbain, Third Witch and others; Kate Steele as Lady Macduff, First Witch and Apparition; Kris Tabori as Duncan and others.

Directed by Martin Jarvis. Sound effects by Tony Palermo. Recorded at the Invisible Studios, West Hollywood, in May 2011.

Public Domain (P)2011 L.A. Theatre Works

Might want to Read Along

Ok, unless you have the play memorized, this is hard to follow without the characters before you on the stage, but it is still just EXCELLENT. Don't let that difficulty stop you, just listen to this with the play or a guide in front of you, so you always remember who is speaking and where they are.

16 of 16 people found this review helpful

Enjoyable all-cast performance

I greatly enjoyed listening to this full-cast performance. There was great chemistry between the lead cast Mr. Marsters and Mrs. Whalley which sparked the story.
The sound effects were appropriate and didn't distract. A few of the male voices sounded similar, so sometimes it took a while to distinguish the different characters (if you are not very familiar with the lines)
All in all a production in the typical LATW quality and a bargain if you look at the price.

12 of 12 people found this review helpful

“Confusion now hath made his masterpiece

“Stars, hide your fires; Let not light see my black and deep desires.”
― William Shakespeare, Macbeth

I haven't read this since I was in HS. Loved it. Probably my biggest complaint is how slim it is. But, Shakespeare is at the top of his game. Based on an account of the reigns of Duncan and Makbeth in "the Chronicals of Scotland" in Raphael Holinshed's Chronicles of England, Scotland, and Ireland, it also spins into myth and alludes a bit to Seneca's tragedies. This is an efficient play. It is a sword, a knife, a razor blade; interesting and tight. And Lady Macbeth is just, well, bloody amazing. It is hard sometimes to map EXACTLY where the magic of Shakespeare happens, but with Macbeth it is fairly easy. Shakespeare is the master at weaving very human characteristics (pride, ambition, duplicity, guilt) with a dark, mythic background filled with ghosts and witches. But add to that Shakespeare's poetry (95% of this play is in verse) and grand-scale characters, and he transports this play from great to fantastic. Some of Shakespeare's most memorable lines and moments come from Macbeth. I still think there are several plays that are better (Hamlet, Romeo and Juliet, King Lear, etc), but there is SOMETHING in this play that hooks me hard. Not necessarily always in a good way. But it grabs me like guilt still.

Some of the best lines:

― “Where shall we three meet again in thunder, lightning, or in rain? When the hurlyburly 's done, when the battle 's lost and won” (Act 1, Scene 1).

― “I have no spur
To prick the sides of my intent, but only
Vaulting ambition, which o'erleaps itself
And falls on the other.” (Act 1, Scene 7)

― “False face must hide what the false heart doth know.” (Act 1, Scene 7)

― “By the pricking of my thumbs,
Something wicked this way comes.” (Act 4, Scene 1)

― “Life ... is a tale
Told by an idiot, full of sound and fury,
Signifying nothing.” (Act 5, Scene 5).

11 of 12 people found this review helpful

A bit awkward

Varying performance qualities makes this version feel disjointed. sine are quite believable, but others (including the lead) sound very much like they're reading from a script.

5 of 5 people found this review helpful

All hail this Macbeth!

I felt sad when each character died including Macbeth and Lady M which is a testament to the actors. Macbeth was courageous to the end; a true warrior who got greedy and caused so much chaos that he had to be stopped. This production tells this story believably. It is acted well, the sound is clear and special effects add to the experience. Upon further listenings, the lesser lines of the play rise up to the surface. This is a recording that deserves to be played more than once.

11 of 12 people found this review helpful

Classic

Just a great audiobook for the audio library. Most actors were excellent. Entertaining listen for the road or sitting at home.

2 of 2 people found this review helpful

Well played

They did a bang up job with this classic play. If it’s your first time hearing Macbeth, it may be difficult to track the characters through their voices.

1 of 1 people found this review helpful

The Scottish Tragedy

Played before my very ears with sublime performance is Shakespeare's most talked about play warning of the dangers of overreaching ambition.

1 of 1 people found this review helpful

Very good.

A very nice performance of my favorite Shakespeare. A couple of interesting interpretations in tone that I disagree with, but heck, that's the fun of reading Shakespeare. The performers did a great job and went at it full bore. Enjoyed the witches, Macbeth, and Macduff most of all. He had a small part in this one, but Mr Tabori has to be the greatest reader of all times. Check out his La Horla reading if you can get your hands on it. On to the hurlyburly!

2 of 3 people found this review helpful

Awesome performance!

James Marsters and cast hit it out of the park! Truly excellent. LA Theatre Works never disappoints.

argh American accents!!

I'm pretty sure Macbeth wasn't an American. not a great version unfortunately. it is a strange story too though

2 of 2 people found this review helpful

Great for revision !!

I'm reading this as a GCSE student, and it really helped me for the exam 👍🏾

1 of 1 people found this review helpful

Yanks lack the passion of performance.

Had I known this was an American performance of MacBeth. I wouldn't have purchased it. It just didn't sound great. And the cast lacked the passion needed for the Scottish play. Very disappointed. Stick to English if not Scottish versions.

1 of 3 people found this review helpful

Grr.

American voices performing Shakespeare always jar on me and this performance was no exception. Deleted

1 of 4 people found this review helpful

Knock, knock, knock! Who's there?

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

Yes. It's pretty good.

What other book might you compare Macbeth to, and why?

Other books by Shakespeare, because he wrote them also.

What does the narrators bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you had only read the book?

Mouthwords.

Did you have an emotional reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

It's a good psychological horror, with allot of atmosphere. It
brings forth feelings of excitement, and provokes thought.

Any additional comments?

Knock,
knock, knock! Who's there? Faith, here's an
English tailor come hither, for stealing out of
a French hose: come in, tailor; here you may
roast your goose.

0 of 3 people found this review helpful