UI presents ”Macbeth” with a different twist

The University of Idaho is presenting dueling versions of Shakespeare’s “Macbeth” beginning tonight.

Two separate casts – one consisting of Master of Fine Arts students, and another of Bachelor of Fine Arts students – will perform on alternate nights.

Each cast performs on the same set with essentially the same costumes. Yet the two productions will take the audience in different directions.

“What audiences will see are two different distillations of understanding for a given character – possibly very different,” said director David Lee-Painter in a press release. “If you see both productions, you’ll get a lot of insight into the nuances of Shakespeare.”

The MFA cast is headed by John O’Hagan as Macbeth and Yolanda Suarez as Lady Macbeth. The BFA cast has Jesse Calixto and Rachel Santoro in those roles.

Tonight’s performance features the MFA cast. The BFA cast version opens Friday.

Curtain is at 7:30 p.m. tonight, Friday, Saturday and April 27-30. Matinees will be at 2 p.m. on Sunday and on May 1.

Tickets are $10 for adults, $9 for seniors, $7 for students and youth, through the UI Ticket Office (208-885-7212, 888-8UI-DAHO) or TicketsWest outlets (325-SEAT, 800-325-SEAT, www.ticketswest.com).

All shows are at the Hartung Theatre on the UI campus in Moscow.