Push/Pull Theater's 'Macbeth' exchanges the Scottish accent for capoeira twist

Before Push/Pull Theater Company concludes its Fringe Festival run of "Macbeth" on Sunday, an audience member may be impaled upon a bamboo pole. This is no cloak-and-dagger Scottish play, this is the condensed capoeira version. Like the best of Fringe takes on the classics, it's clever, lightning-quick and all about taking risks (artistically and physically) in a very small space.

First, an important disclaimer: There are no pole-dancing witches or buff, shirtless Brazilian men in this production. Capoeira (pronounced cap-o-WHERE-a) is an Afro-Brazilian hybrid of music, dance and martial arts. Before formally starting rehearsals, the "Macbeth" cast spent several evenings in director Jessica Aimone's back yard, practicing acrobatic kicks. What the actors do in the show -- particularly in a heart-pounding opening sequence -- isn't quite authentic, but it makes for great physical theater.

"Macbeth" is already the shortest of Shakespeare's tragedies, and this 65-minute version at Redrum, 612 L St. NW, weathers the cuts and juxtapositions well. While Malcolm and Macduff recount the murderous goings-on in Scotland, Lady Macbeth sits across the stage, muttering about those damned spots. A gutsy actor named Alex Mandell doubles as a murderer and a witch. During the conjuring scene, fellow weird sisters manipulate his wiry body as if he were a demon-possessed marionette.

Creativity is always key in low-budget Shakespeare. At the Fringe, it may pay dividends. Saturday's opening sold out, as did a Sunday matinee, where a disgruntled patron allegedly ripped the door off its hinges to get access the theater. If life imitated art, he might have been whacked by an errant capoeira stick.

-- Rebecca J. Ritzel