Redrum, Redrum!

A mad-scary murderous rampage brought on by a man's descent into madness isn't just the outline of a story written by Stephen King (and hauntingly executed on the silver screen by Stanley Kubrick). In fact, ol' Billy the Bard staged a tale with some similar basic plot points back in his day, though Shining-style isolation isn't what brought the crazy out of Macbeth -- an insatiable lust for power flipped the switch in his head, with a little coaxing from his wife, of course. Set in Scotland, Macbeth follows our protagonist and his poorer half as they achieve greatness only to swirl the drain soon after. What caused their plunge to unbelievable, deadly depths? Was it truly just the mysterious witches' prophecy of Macbeth's rise to the throne and then his desire to rush the process along via slaughter and assassination? Or had the seed of madness been festering, unnoticed, for some time? And is there a kernel of the crazy in us all? Ponder these points as you watch the Repertory Theatre of St. Louis stage one of Shakespeare's most beloved, albeit most tragic, works. Macbeth opens at 8 p.m. on Wednesday, February 9, and continues Tuesday through Sunday until Sunday, March 6, at the Loretto-Hilton Center (130 Edgar Road, Webster Groves). Showtimes vary; call 314-968-4925 or visit www.repstl.org to learn more and to purchase tickets, which are priced at $15 to $70.
Tuesdays-Sundays. Starts: Feb. 9. Continues through March 6, 2011