Macbeth
at Pompano Beach High School

Reviewed on March 14, 2014

Carlo Feliciani
University School of Nova Southeastern University
Submitted for publication to

Heavy metal and grunge are usually not associated with Shakespearean verse. Yet all of these elements and even more came together in Pompano Beach High School's production of a modern metal interpretation of Macbeth, Shakespeare's tragedy about a Scottish thane who chooses murder as a way to achieve kingship.


Of course, a heavy metal Macbeth deserves a description. Picture a stage where dark grey platforms and chairs of varying shape and height changed to create locations such as the Dunsinane, a club where Fire of Glamis, Macbeth's band, and Scottish Steel, Duncan's and the city's biggest band, play during a battle of the bands. When one of Duncan's bandmates is deemed a traitor for joining a rival band, Macbeth beats him both musically and physically in the battle. Macbeth, with his bandmate Banquo, goes to the Heath, a local diner, and he meets record executives who offer up a place in Duncan's band and even to become frontman of Scottish Steel. When one of these honors comes true, Macbeth and Lady Macbeth see there is only one way to achieve glory, and so, insanity ensues.


This might seem a little confusing, yet the production smartly included a translation guide in the program that explained the beginning and included what some locations and titles meant in the context of heavy metal, while maintaining almost all of the early modern English of the play.


Characters were also translated into this theme, and an excellent example was the ensemble of witches, who were separated into record executives, scary witches, and audience witches, each serving a different purpose in the production. The record executives interacted within the direct context of the play, while the scary witches served as a nod to the traditional context and added fantastical and malevolent elements to the production that truly showed that, "Fair is foul, and foul is fair."


Of course, the translation, even if inconsistent at times, was not only the interpretation of the text but also the visual and auditory aspects. Scenes and scene changes were underscored with both Mozart and heavy metal, creating contrasting musical moments as scenes progressed and further establishing the theme.


The costumes and makeup added to the grunge interpretation, including black nail polish and ripped jeans, while also symbolizing the original setting and loyalties between characters, such as red and blue bandanas for different bands and varying styles of plaid.The props ranged from guitars to beer cans, and, although there was some issues with manipulation of these items, they appropriately added the theme to key moments throughout, including red cups galore as the drinking glass of choice.


Wielding the bloody daggers, or in this case syringes, was Jeremy Wershoven as the title character, whose energy and focus also bolstered the translation, while still maintaining the ambitious yet human elements of Macbeth. Even if there was a lack of intensity from some members of the cast, a highlight performance, such as Robert Cerrito as the hilarious porter, added comedic relief to the dark play. The murderers, played by Julie Godfrey, Victoria Perez, and Emily Solley, interpreted their characters as crazy groupies who went crazy even at the sight of Macbeth and would do anything for their favorite band member, which created a hysterical portrayal of the usually serious characters.


Macbeth is a truly difficult production no matter the context, and a different interpretation is an ambitious challenge—yet the cast and crew of Pompano Beach High School gave a commendable effort and showed that Macbeth, even translated into heavy metal, is a dark and mysterious night of theatre.

Trevor Durham
Suncoast Community High School
Submitted for publication to

What speak you of blood, murder, betrayal, insanity? By the pricking of my thumbs, something wicked this way comes: Macbeth! This weekend, heavy metal and Shakespeare clash in Pompano Beach High School's production of ‘that Scottish play', Macbeth.

The premise of Macbeth is unforgettable, but this hard rock rendition saw hearty changes: Macbeth is no longer the Thane of Glamis, but the lead guitarist of the band ‘Fire of Glamis'. His rise to power is into that of a popular metal band, where he hopes to become a star.

Pompano's entire production hinged on two things: the first (being what all Shakespeare requires), flawless performance and relaying of script to audience, the second of which being the success of their reinterpretation. Both are mindbogglingly difficult challenges for even professional troupes to attempt: the ambitions onstage were near as high as Macbeth's himself.

Playing the titular character was his majesty, Jeremy Wershoven, whose role holds one of the most difficult psychological curves in all of the theatrical arts. He had a clear understanding of where his character was destined to fall, and worked the aspects of the rage fully. Dutifully at his side through all murder and mayhem was Gabriella Wilson, also faithfully keeping her version of Lady Macbeth consistent and true to the insanity she delves into.

Among the varied ensemble, there were standouts such as Lennox (Austin Stanbury, also playing the Sergeant), the witches (in particular, Jennifer Russo), the three murderers, and the Porter (Robert Cerrito). Each performer found their role in the twisted tragedy of deceit, defining themselves in the madness and giving the audience a performance that resonated with how human each character was written to be.

As previously mentioned, the two aspects that make or break this show are the performances and translation's clarity. An overarching flaw this piece seemed to have was a mixture of these; some performers seemed to be more grounded in the classic setting, while others adapted to the modern version. The clash left many people's motivations unclear, individual monologues muddy, and entire scenes flat.

While it is truly incredible what an undertaking Pompano Beach made into this modernization of Macbeth, it may be worth noting the Thane's wise and foreboding words: Vaulting ambition, which o'erleaps itself and falls on the other.

Siena Wise
Pine Crest School
Submitted for publication to

William Shakespeare's tragic play Macbeth is a staple in both the classical literary canon and 11th grade English classes throughout the country. However, Pompano Beach High School took this already intense and high-stakes drama and upped the ante by plucking Macbeth from its traditional Scottish setting dropping it into a small-town scenario where the characters are reimagined as members of rival heavy metal bands. This complex reimagining of a drama universally known and studied provided a healthy dose of food for thought for the captivated audience.

Assumed to have first been performed at the famous Globe Theatre around the year 1606, Macbeth chronicles the story of Macbeth, a brave soldier for the kingdom of Scotland and for his king, Duncan. Three witches visit Macbeth and proclaim that he will be king one day, while telling his close confidant and friend Banquo that he will father kings. The play follows Macbeth into his slow descent to madness as he tries to comprehend and realize the witches' prophecies. In the realm of Pompano Beach High School's production, Macbeth is the lead guitarist for the heavy medal band Fire of Glamis, while Duncan is the frontman of the band Scottish Steel. When a former Scottish Steel member jumps ship to join enemy band The Norwegians, a fight breaks out the traitor attacks Banquo (the drummer for Fire of Glamis). After the fight, Macbeth and Banquo are visited by three record producers and are told that Macbeth will one day be the frontman of Scottish Steel.

The production was incredibly ambitious, and the pride of the students in their work shone through in their performance. The cast had a large hurdle to jump over given that they did not change a single word of the original Shakespearean English, and it was executed very well. There were, though, some energy issues, as some of the cast members were clearly more involved in the play onstage than others.

Lead actor Jeremy Wershoven did a fantastic job tackling the tough and intense role of Macbeth. He acted with a poise and dignity rarely seen with actors of his age. Not only did he deliver his lines, but also experienced them with powerful emotion and fervor. Gabriella Wilson, playing the role of Lady Macbeth, did a great job as well. She had enthralling stage presence and truly embodied the devious and manipulative character of Lady Macbeth.

Supporting actor DaShawn Watson was excellent in his portrayal of Macbeth's friend Banquo. Watson provided a great foil for the aggressive, emotional performance of Wershoven. His performance as the ghost of Banquo was chilling and powerful.

The technical aspects of the production were executed nicely. The lighting and set were simplistic, which allowed them to work off of each other effectively. The blackouts were slightly long for a changing of the rather simple set, however.

Macbeth was a well-performed reimagining of a classic drama, and Pompano Beach High School's production was inspiring and a delight to watch.

Ana Hymson
Stoneman Douglas High School
Submitted for publication to

Pompano Beach High School's reimagined "Macbeth" was the classic tale of power and betrayal with a modern twist- heavy metal.

William Shakespeare's tragedy "Macbeth," written is 1606, is the story of Macbeth's descent into madness following the string of murders he commits in order to become King. In Pompano Beach High School's production, the war that the script was originally based around was translated into a Battle of the Bands in which Macbeth murders other band members in hopes of coming out on top.

An incredibly talented actor, Jeremy Wershoven played a powerful Macbeth. His facial expressions and delivery of lines were perfectly suited to the character, which made him a believable madman. The physical chemistry between Wershoven and Gabrielle Wilson (Lady Macbeth) was also commendable; the two shared convincing looks and embraces consistently.

Whether playing the role of a living or a dead man, DaShawn Watson (Banquo) was always powerful onstage. Projecting his lines with conviction, Watson moved the plot along expertly. Phelan Kenyon-Jones was strong as Macduff, a rival of Macbeth's. Though some actors did not play through their key moments with full force, others stepped into the spotlight with confidence.

A highlight of the production was the comic relief in the form of Robert Cerrito (Porter). Cerrito's hilarious delivery in addition to his impeccable physical comedy illustrated his understanding of the difficult script. In the role of Lennox, Austin Stanbury also developed a meaningful character, giving each line a genuine feel and displaying his dedication to his character.

The creative manager of this production, Phelan Kenyon-Jones, was responsible for the translation from the original storyline into the Battle of the Bands plot. Only two or three words of the original language were changed in order to fit the new concept, contributing to the difficulty of the show for the actors. The translation came through strongly in the first several scenes, but as the plot thickened, the veil thinned. The marketing techniques used by the publicity team were highly effective, especially the website they created to inform their audience of their new take on the traditional script. The sound for the production was hit-and-miss. Much of the heavy metal music was at the same level, and not suited to the plot when played between scenes. The classical music used, however, was well-placed and effective.

Overall, Pompano Beach High School's cast and crew proved to be a very creative bunch in their ambitious, modern production of Macbeth.

Taylor Barth
JP Taravella HS
Submitted for publication to

Something wickedly intriguing this way comes at Pompano Beach High School's ambitious production of "Macbeth," with themes of ambition, masculinity, and heavy metal rock.

Written between 1603-1607, William Shakespeare's "Macbeth," is considered one of his deepest and most powerful tragedies. Pompano Beach High School decided to stay true to the early Shakespearean language but change the circumstances to something a bit more relatable and modern- a competition between two local bands. This authentic and creative plot centers around Macbeth, who spirals out of control throughout the story as he is steadily driven to insanity in his conquest for power.

As a whole, the translation of the show was incredibly accurate to the original script, but became confusing at times when actors referred to characters as kings when they were in heavy metal bands. Energy among all actors was lacking at some points throughout,1 but was restored in battle and death scenes. The new rendition of "Macbeth" seemed to be too presentational and lacked realism with several characters throughout the piece.

Macbeth, Fire of Glamis's frontman, was portrayed by Jeremy Wershoven. Wershoven exhibited his fine memorization skills and understanding of the script by delivering his lines smoothly with great emotion and believability, while also commanding the stage with fierce characterization. Though Wershoven lacked a clear spiral to insanity, he managed to show his intentions by his crazed facial expressions and gestures. Lady Macbeth, Macbeth's devoted wife, was played by Gabriella Wilson with admirable diction and energy. Despite Wilson's lack of motivation behind lines and overall static performance, she established a commendable relationship with Macbeth and adequate characterization.

Banquo, the man Macbeth sets out to kill, was played by DaShawn Watson with a scary, emotionless face and great stage presence. Robert Cerrito depicted the messenger, Porter, adding comedic relief to the tale with his over exaggerated characterization and elaborate gestures. Jennifer Russo as a Scary Witch was quite memorable with her creepy smile and happy attitude throughout the dark scenes. Russo stood out among the ensemble with her distinct character choices and mannerisms.

Tech-wise, Marketing by Chabelys Perez and company was well thought out with VIP passes for audience members, creative playbill designs, and even wristbands instead of tickets to go with the battle of the bands theme. Lighting by Jackson Minett and company was very minimal and in need of more colors and dimensions to bring the show to its fullest potential.

Combining such a highly difficult show with a modern twist, Pompano Beach High School's production of "Macbeth," was indigenous, genuine, and aspiring, with an outrageously talented cast to match.

Eliana Meyerowitz
Boca Raton Community High School
Submitted for publication to

Lights up on a couple of punk rockers hanging out and drinking some beers before a show. But there's tension in the air. It's clear Pompano Beach High School's Production of Macbeth is going to rock the Bard's world.

Written by William Shakespeare, Macbeth is a play about a man and wife's climb to power and the madness that ensues from their actions. In this production, Macbeth is the frontman of a band that musically and physically beats the Norwegians- the renowned Duncan's newest enemy band. When three record producers approach Macbeth about his career's successful future, he doesn't give it much thought. Their predictions begin to unfold, and Macbeth and his wife seize the opportunity to expedite the prophecy. The consequences, however, are dire for all.

From the visually appealing vignettes to the amusing character adaptations, the cast and crew got creative with their revised piece. Making the sometimes underplayed murderers into fangirls gave the tragedy a humorous aspect, the mix of metal music with classical made the experience more engaging, and making the dagger to a syringe was just one of the necessary changes incorporated.

Jeremy Wershoven (Macbeth) dominated the show with his clear intensions, strong diction, and captivating presence. Wershoven's interpretation of the character showed mad tendencies from his first moments onstage, and he had a firm grasp of Shakespeare's language.

Among the most memorable performances was Robert Cerrito's (Porter). Cerrito's first monologue had the audience chuckling and his character continued to amuse in each scene he was in. Phelan Kenyon-Jones (Macduff) had the cool, casual ambiance of a rocker from the very first scene, but his enraged tackle of Macbeth towards the end was believable enough to make the audience gasp.

The excellent publicity for the show included VIP lanyards and concert wristbands to make the experience authentic, a photo shoot, and a website that gives the cast and crew recognition for their efforts. The set was durable enough to be thrown around, fit the theme, and should have allowed for quicker, more effective scene changes than occurred. The lighting design could have been more creative, but the couple of times colored lights were exploited were effective in creating the mood.

Doing Macbeth as heavy metal, with the text unchanged, would be an audacious choice even for a professional company. At times the intensity of the play was lost in translation; at times, the rock aspect was underutilized, but the results were never boring. The unique result attests to Pompano High's dedication and collaboration and to the versatility of William Shakespeare's words.

Angela Galup
Boca Raton Community High School
Submitted for publication to

Hardcore punk meets madness, loyalty is betrayed, and it all came together this weekend in Pompano Beach High School's version of Macbeth that they performed last weekend.

Macbeth, written by William Shakespeare, was written somewhere between 1603 and 1607. Pompano High School's version, which did not change the written text but just about everything else, set the story about "The Battle of the Bands." Through Macbeth's corruption of power and the guilt he feels after he kills just about everyone he knows, it slowly drives him insane to the point where he himself must be overthrown. Rather than becoming King in this production, the lead role became the Frontman of the Scottish Steel, and had to be hardcore enough to get there.

Jeremy Wershoven as Macbeth was a true joy to watch onstage. With a well-developed character, his acting was dynamic and captivating. Though at some points the energy was at a constant high with no where to excel from, he truly understood the difficult, old English language and portrayed it to the audience clearly as well.

Phelan Kenyon-Jones as Macduff created a strong character that was enjoyable to watch and truly gave a portrayal of the example "there are no small roles, only small actors" by making every second on stage count and stealing the audience's attention. Another multi-faceted character was Lady Macbeth, played by Gabriella Wilson. Though the relationship between Lady Macbeth and Macbeth fell short, Wilson was a strong individual character.

The ensemble of the Witches were well rehearsed and gave a tight performance, enhancing just the three witches to nine without hindering the production at all. With well-developed characterization from each ensemble member, they tied together to create an interesting picture onstage. The Porter, though he had limited stage time, played by Robert Cerrito, also created a character to remember with his dedication to his character.

Throughout the performance of the show, unnecessarily long scene changes hurt the flow of the production. The energy levels were not consistent as a scene would change in loud rock music, and abruptly end with the next scene onstage. However, sound was not an issue and every actor could be heard. Though most lighting was simplistic, the lighting crew never missed a cue and most actors were seen. Marketing and publicity were very creative in the backstage passes they offered, replacing tickets with concert wristbands, and publicizing in the form of concert flyers. Though the creativity of the rock theme was lost along the performance of the show, it was truly creative and set a high difficulty for the performance.

A tragic yet entertaining performance, Pompano Beach High School's production of Macbeth was captivating and truly exceptional.

Maggie Behan
Cardinal Gibbons High School
Submitted for publication to

If you find yourself constantly harassed by the ghost of all the friends you've killed and it's inconveniencing your dinner parties, then you're in good company--so does Macbeth, titular character of Shakespeare's famed Scottish play. Pompano Beach High School tackled Macbeth with a heavy metal twist, turning a "battle of the bands" completely literal and completely deadly.

Macbeth, written in the early 17th century by William Shakespeare, follows the story of a Scottish thane who, after courageously defending his king from traitorous countrymen, is confronted by three strange women who offer him and his friend, Banquo, prophecies of future greatness. When some of the prophecies begin to come true, Macbeth--at the urging of his ambitious wife--takes matters into his own hands and begins to clear a path to the throne of Scotland, leaving a trail of dead bodies in his wake.

Pompano's production was elevated by their unique heavy metal take on an otherwise well-known show; by modernizing the content while leaving the original Shakespearean language, an interesting contrast of contemporary and traditional was created. The leads of the show advanced it along skillfully, displaying comprehension of their lines and admirable dedication to character.

Jeremy Wershoven attacked his every line and scene with commanding intensity as Macbeth. His understanding of the very complex and dynamic character was unquestionable. DaShawn Watson brought vitality--and, later, supernatural entertainment--to the table as Macbeth's right hand man (and murder victim), Banquo. As Malcolm, Daniel Lorens held passionate control with an infectiously energetic physicality and presence.

Austin Stanbury as Lennox managed to take a role that, in less capable hands, may have been forgettable, and instead virtually hijack every scene he was in with his total commitment to character and his incredible ease and comfort with his lines. Robert Cerrito likewise commanded the audience's attention with his overblown and hilarious portrayal of the freeloading Porter. However, some performers displayed significantly less understanding of their characters and fell into flat line delivery and repetitive, unnecessary motions. Disappointingly, the vision of "Heavy Metal Macbeth" didn't seem to be carried through to its fullest potential--but in the moments when it was most evident, the show truly came alive.

The sets were kept minimal, but very effective, and open to easy transition from nightclub to castle and back again. The lighting was equally simplistic; for they most part, actors were illuminated by plain white light, undistracting but occasionally unequal to the scenes' urgency. The projection of the performers (none of whom was individually miked) was commendable; not once did the audience have to strain for a line.

From murders to royalty to electric guitars, Pompano Beach High School's production of Macbeth certainly ran the gamut from bloody to bloody awesome. Despite some weak characterization and underutilized potential, the performers had the audience seeing daggers and syringes in their dreams and leaving the theater with a pricking in their thumbs.