Jarod Hart - The Tragedy of Macbeth

Overview

"The Tragedy of Macbeth" is somewhere in the realm between play and musical, and honestly even a bit of opera. At the end of the day, the current rendition is what one might be able to describe as a diegetic play since the music is a part of the scenes, especially for characters like the witches, as this is a modernized retelling of Shakespeare's Macbeth while retaining the original text. All the characters who die throughout the play come back to form a "death chorus" during the confrontation with Macduff. The rest of the music is background music, scene transitions, mood, etc. Since we chose to set it in the late 60's with jazz clubs and mafia vibes, all of the music reflects the jazz stylings of the era, and those just previous with a touch of what was happening in the classical world at that time at theatrically appropriate times. This show still rings true with how a lot of the material includes things we are still grappling with as a society.

If you are interested in licensing this show, please reach out! I recently finished making the minor edits required to lease this show out to other productions, and am hoping to make an opera version that will push the music further. Recordings of a few of tunes, featuring the Witches and Lady Macbeth, are available on my YouTube channel, or available below, as well as a preview of the libretto so you can follow along with the recordings and photos of the original production! I apologize for the website compressing some of the photos.

Timeline

January 18th, 2020- The director for what would become this magnificent show pitched me the initial idea.

Spring 2020- Due to COVID freeing up my schedule, I began writing tunes for the show, but this quickly fell off because we didn't know when or how theater might return to the world.

December 5th, 2022- I got serious about bringing this show to the world and went back to the director to pursue bringing this idea to life.

December 19th 2022- The director gave me the list of "ideal songs" for the production. I wrote all of these plus a few extras.

June 6th, 2023- Initial music draft was completed.

November 3rd-5th, 2023- Opening night and subsequent production with Judge Story's Theatrical Troupe.

January 28th, 2024- Me, the band, the witches, and Lady Macbeth recorded some of the numbers from this show to give you all a preview of what this show sounds like!

August 7th, 2024- I finally get all of the little edits done to make this show fully licensable for other companies.

The Recording Session

When going to record some songs from the show, I didn't have the ability to call all of the actors back due to time constraints, so a lot of dialogue on top of the songs that were recorded was cut for these demos. It was also only recorded off of one microphone due to my setup, and the effect is a little overwhelming. Most of the problems worked themselves out when I was mastering, but it is still not a studio level recording. I hope you enjoy!

Overture and Fair is Foul

Technically two songs that just run right along. It is the opening to the show and on stage plays like the ending of a rehearsal since the witches are modeled after a lounge singer trio.

All Hail

The next of the witches' scenes, it is when Macbeth and Banquo are told their fortunes. I really wish I could have had them record the lines too, but pull up a script and I'm sure you'll be able to envision the interplay.

King That Shalt Be

This is the form of the song as we presented it in our show, although not quite how I envision the full design of the scene, more on that down below. Lady Macbeth receives a letter from Macbeth describing the fates told to him, and she discusses the possibilities, both with herself and her attendant. The witches act as a radio playing a pop tune in the background, their presence felt and yet not directly seen.

Drunken Hope Tag

A scene transition from the end of Shakespeare's first act that I recorded on my piano at home. Macbeth has just committed his resolve which is why I called for such a strong mood.

Curtain Call

Now we have to jump to the end of the show and the Curtain Call. My favorite to write because I finally got to cut loose. Yes, if you pay close enough attention, I added an extra beat at the piano right at the very end on the only take I got. Oh well. Hard enough playing that instrument with two hands, let alone one. This tune features a variety of the melodies that occur throughout the show in a big band style tune.

King That Shalt Be (with Lady Macbeth)

In this rendition, and my personal favorite, Lady Macbeth feels compelled when reading the letter, and at times when discussing its effects, that she must sing along with the witches, further propelling the question of fate or choice. Either way you prefer it, I wish more dialogue could have been represented with the tracks.

WATERMARKED Libretto The Tragedy of Macbeth.pdf