There we were in Priest Point Park, watching theater that went beyond poor to free, in which actors sped around on all fours like greyhounds.  When I heard about Animal Fire Theatre's approach to Macbeth I was skeptical, but it's applied with discretion and wit and it's damn fun to watch.  ("Weird sister" Austin Nichols is particularly agile, and his costuming efforts are clear and consistent to boot.)  Director Austen Anderson cut the script into 90 well-chosen minutes and makes good use of an unusual, semicircular space. Casey Brown's fight choreography is among the best I've seen on the boards. Anderson stages the material much as Shakespeare probably did, in contemporary clothing suggestive of period garb, with nary a Scottish accent to be heard.  I didn't miss the burrs.  Notably for an outdoor production near East Bay Drive, almost every word of dialogue was clearly audible from our camping chairs near the ring of citronella candles - and we were out by nine without a single mosquito bite.

Read the full review here.

Macbeth

July 22-25, 29-Aug. 1, 7:30 p.m., free, bring blanket or lawn chair
Priest Point Park, 2600 East Bay Dr. NE, Olympia
animalfiretheatre.com