William Shakespeare’s work is no stranger to unique adaptations. For over four hundred years, audiences have been dazzled by reimaginings of his compositions in West Side Story, 10 Things I Hate About You, and my personal favourite, She’s the Man. Brilliant stage and screen adaptations abound, and at Centaur Theatre, Spontaneous Productions has added Goblin: Macbeth to the list with a hilarious show that finds humour in Shakespeare’s poetry.

Starring the Goblins Wug, Kragva, and Moog, played by anonymous actors, Goblin: Macbeth follows this trio as they stumble across the complete works of William Shakespeare. They choose to perform Macbeth in hopes of better understanding human culture, because, as they put it, it is the Bard’s shortest play, and has quite a bit of blood. However, the show truly starts before the curtains rise, with the Goblins appearing in the lobby to the surprise of theatregoers and later commandeering the stage, much to the chagrin of the director whose show was ‘supposed’ to take place there. 

This version follows the closing of Théâtre du Nouveau Monde’s production of Macbeth on March 1st, which set the play amidst a biker-gang war. The Goblin’s version began previewing on March 4th, continuing Macbeth’s rightful dominance over Montreal.

The Goblins interact with the audience before they are even seated, introducing the cultural divide between themselves and humans through their discovery of human-made items. Yet despite their uniqueness, Wug, Kragva, and Moog are distinctly human. Their attempt to perform the play is as familiar to the audience as it is charming, with each goblin playing multiple characters and arguing amongst each other about equal effort in performing the play. In one scene, Kravga plays all of the characters, while Wug, as Macbeth, hides behind a mirror, and Moog is stuck playing the music—you must see it to believe it.

Much can be said about the banter and the modernization of some of the play’s lines to better suit the comedy, but when all is said and done, the performances in Goblin: Macbeth fully convey the wide range of emotions that Shakespeare intended. Wug gave a showstopping performance as Macbeth, bringing genuine emotion to the famed “Is this a dagger” and “Tomorrow, and tomorrow, and tomorrow” soliloquies. There was, especially in the latter speech, a clear intent behind the words, and Wug’s delivery was moving.

Kravga plays Lady Macbeth, among other characters, and stands out as well. Kravga leads many of the production’s most hilarious deviations from Shakespeare’s original script, having audience members play the army hiding under the leaves of Birnam Wood, marching upon Macbeth at Dunsinane, in the final act. Most memorably, once Wug’s Macbeth returns onstage after committing his nefarious deed, Kravga notices something off about him that sends the production into a breathtakingly insane direction.

The Goblins take great joy in involving the viewers in the production, culminating in a fun activity that also doubles as a stretch break. The Goblins occasionally encourage all audience members to respond to their dialogue, while some are asked to participate in the play from the comfort of their seats.
Overall, for Shakespeare enthusiasts and newcomers, Goblin: Macbeth is a must-see. It is a masterclass in respecting Shakespeare’s world-famous poetry while cheekily using comedy to make it understandable to a modern audience. With a reverential treatment of the language, at least by Wug, the audience gets the best of both worlds: Brilliant comedy and beautiful handling of one of Shakespeare’s best. It’s something you’ll want to see again tomorrow, and tomorrow, and tomorrow.