Orson Welles' "Voodoo" Macbeth

Newsreel of Orson Welles' all-black adaptation of Macbeth.
Produced by the Negro Theatre Unit of the Federal Theatre Project ( http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Federal_Theatre_Project ) of the Works Progress Administration ( http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Works_Projects_Administration ).
Jack Carter (he would later appear as Mephistopheles in Welles production of Dr. Faustus): Macbeth
Edna Thomas: Lady Macbeth
Canada Lee (he would later appear as Bigger Thomas in Welles production of Native Son and before the blacklist had a brief Hollywood career http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Canada_Lee & http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0496938/ ): Banquo
Maurice Ellis: Macduff
Eric Burroughs: Hecate
drummers led by Asadata Dafora

http://www.ibdb.com/production.php?id=12078
http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/fedtp/ftmb1.html
Production notebook, playscript, and related documents from the digital collection The New Deal Stage at the Library of Congress.

To anyones knowledge has there ever been a revival?
Well apparently there was in 1977, the Henry Street Settlement's New Federal Theatre revived the production, starring Lex Monson and Esther Rolle.

Category:

Entertainment

Tags:

• Orson
• Welles
• Shakespeare
• Macbeth
• Federal
• Theatre
• Project
• black
• theatre
• 1930s
• Newsreel

[Orsley]

It's too bad there's no tradition of debate in American public schools so people could learn to disagree without being disagreeable. Welles, of course, is a conundrum, as great artists often are. But "F For Fake," brilliantly edited from mainly "found" footage, suggests that he certainly could finish a film, and that, in fact, editing was increasingly crucial to his creative vision. But he was never a commercial artist, and his tortured relationship w/ Hollywood was unavoidable, it seems to me.

[KentAllard]

Welles said if he were to teach movie making, half the time would be spent sitting around a moviola.

Editing was always important for his films, the dfficulties or time it would take being a point of contention on Ambersons and Arkadin.

[digitalshark]

Sorry. I like Welles too much to engage in some youtube pissing match. I commented because I thought I'd share my appreciation of the book with another Welles fan, but no good deed goes unpunished on youtube. If you think you're the first Welles fan to take exception to the overwhelming and often bitter criticism of him over the years, you're mistaken. But you've now given me the feeling that you can abide no critical assessment at all, which negates any need for me to discuss this with you.

[digitalshark]

Yes. I highly recommend it. The most absorbing, and in my opinion, the most illuminating book ever written about Welles. Callow's books are admirable for the amount of researched detail, but that is negated by his need to, as you said, color things with his own (in my opinion, wrong) interpretations.

[ruthdj1000]

My friend's grandmother was one of the witches...

[miguelmouta]

@digitalshark Welles was a person very engaged with the message of ethics , in general. He did suffer a lot of oposition ,from the system we live. Deserves respect indeed. 

[Orsley]

@spectreagent - Thanks. Saw it when first aired in '96 and have added it to my Netflix queue for another look, although unclear if it will be/has been released on DVD. Btw, I found the recreated moments from his anti-fascist "Caesar" in "Me and Orson Welles" to be pretty wonderful, and seemingly quite accurate from what I've read of it and stills I've seen. Thanks for the note.

[spectreagent]

@Orsley Welles staging of this is featured prominently in the PBS documentary, "The Battle Over Citizen Kane."

[joebstarsurfer]

what a cool idea and cool guy.

[Stantzs]

Oh My God, I love the witches around 3:00

[JustinandEric1]

My friend and I made a song about Macbeth for an english project. The class liked it so much, that they told us to put it on youtube. Well, we did. You should check it out on my channel =)

[Stantzs]

wow, its weird to think they had actors and plays that look like they could be going on right this second, but they had no rights or anything.