I still shudder when I think about the completely dark and wonderfully gripping version of "Dracula" Olympia\'s Harlequin Productions did a few years back. It was early 2004 if you don’t remember. The theater staged a version of the blood-sucking tale of Victorian oppression and sexual frustration about a decade ago as well. That was even a traveling show, but that is a story for another time. Anyway, it took the Bram Stoker classic to the stage in a way I had never seen it since it was truer to the essence of the book than the movie version some companies opt to do.

So now Harlequin is staging "Macbeth," which is known in theater circles as "the Scottish play" because it is deemed unlucky for the theater to even mention the name of the William Shakespeare tragedy lest it face a series of mishaps during the run of the show. There is a bit of evidence to suggest there is at least some truth to these theater tales.

There are generally two camps of thought about this show. Some theater troupes stage the play about murder and betrayal and witchcraft and guilt as an exercise in language exploration and allow the words to tell the tales of intrigue while the actors flower up their speech. Other theater camps go the other route and create the dark and gloomy visuals as a way to grip audiences and let the story play out as if the theatergoers were eavesdropping on the actions that play out in front of them.

Harlequin opts for the second camp and creates a wonderful landscape of creepy characters and scenes. It is a complete creation with effective lighting, stark makeup and off-center staging with dreadfully grand costumes.

Andrew Heffernan, an actor from Los Angeles, anchors the production in his conflicted role of Macbeth. This noble villain does some not so nice things and knows full well he does wrong, but he opts to venture into darkness anyway. This is a humanized portrayal of Macbeth that is wonderfully refreshing if not chilling. The otherwise charming prince begins inching toward dark deeds when the witches foretell of his date with destiny as a king. Duncan is good as dead by the time the witches have ended telling their prophecy.

The show raises a question of sorts about Macbeth\'s role in his own actions since one would argue that the witches and then his ambitious wife feed into his ambition and lead him into murder and betrayal with their tales of wonder to come.

"Macbeth" is a must-see this Halloween. With this show at the State Theater and the stellar "Sweeny Todd" down the street, one would wonder if other theaters should start bottling the water Olympia has to offer for their own stages.

It is shows like Harlequin\'s "Macbeth" that make me think of the ghostly day in the future when the theater makes the wise decision to stage a show such as "Beauty Queen of Lenane" as a way to create a society of walking zombies since anyone who attends such a show would never want to sleep again. It would, I envision, be the most chilling play ever to hit Olympia. Based on the precedent set by "Macbeth," that vision just might come true.  

[State Theater, through Oct. 27, 8 p.m. Thursday-Saturday, 2 p.m. Sunday, $24-$33, $12-$15 rush tickets a half-hour before curtain time, 202 Fourth Ave. E., Olympia, 360.786.0151, www.harlequinproductions.org]