Written by orange• November 10, 2026• 1:33 am• College Theatre, CSUF, fullerton, Uncategorized

Macbeth @ CSUF – Review

Written by Patrick Chavis

Macbeth is playing at CSUF, Nov 5-14, 2026.

This isn’t your mother or your father’s, Macbeth! Scotland has never looked like this. This Macbeth is intergalactic.

Directed by Beth Lopes, this Scottish play is out of this world because it’s a reimagining set in a future with advanced technology. While a specific time in the future isn’t stated, an actor has a glove that reminds me of the Power Glove from the 1989 film The Wizard, which was created for the Nintendo gaming system at the time.

I love the power glove. It’s so bad. (It was bad, but he meant bad as in good in the film) – The Wizard (1989)

Story/Set:

While new advanced weaponry and space-age costuming were implemented in this production, the rest of the play remains the same. It’s a tale about Macbeth (Nathan Camacho), a respected Scottish general who learns about a prophecy that one day he will be king of Scotland. This motivates him to seize power by violent means with the help of his accomplice in crime, Lady Macbeth (Kiana Owens). Is the prophecies correct? Will Macbeth take the throne? Even if he does, will the bloody trail to the top be worth it? This and more in Macbeth.

This production takes place in the Hallberg Theatre, a 150-seat black box theater situated in the Clayes Performing Arts Center. The play is staged in the middle, and the seating is set on the outside, looking in from 4 different angles. The actors also come in and out onto the stage diagonally from the four corners of the hall. This production used a lot of shadow and darkness, so the actors would come out of the dark onto the stage on multiple occasions to recite lines or find their way onto the stage. With lighting transitions, the stage would transform with movable, stone-like boxes that they rearranged to match the scene.

Costumes/Acting/Sound:

“Double, double, toil and trouble”– you know the rest. What a creative costume design here. Each actress playing the witches has their own unique costume and painted face, but you still can tell they are sisters. It’s hard to describe the style: futuristic tribal, possibly. I’m spitballing here. It was really cool. The witches in this production- Sophia McKenna (First Witch), Sarah Castillo (Second Witch), and Peyton Hahn (Third Witch) were ghastly in a great way. Even just a little more emphasis from this group would have been amazing. When they spoke in succession, it was chilling. However, no one was creepier than the betrayed Banquo (Dylan Magallanes) with his ghostly makeup and unnatural movements. Unnerving is truly the word to describe Magallanes’s performance.

Maya Reed’s sound design featured war drums that played on and off throughout the show, along with other ominous sounds.

Yes, the play has the power glove and a futuristic style, but don’t worry, there’s still some good old-fashioned swordplay in this, including daggers and long swords with fight choreography from Michael Polak.

Acting:

The play is called Macbeth, but so much of it rests on Lady Macbeth’s performance. She’s such a rich, complex character, and Kiana Owens displays the full gambit of emotions throughout, including, but most importantly, the requisite ruthlessness.

Elaine Moenho as Macduff was firm and resolute in demeanor and performance. She did exceptional work.

Nathan Camacho as Macbeth gave a strong lead performance, showing the character’s fierce side as well as the fearful and cowardly parts.

Overall, this was an intriguing approach to Macbeth, with only minor performance issues.