The Scottish Play (series)
2017: Weetus Cren

This is a six-episode comedy series based on a production of Macbeth at a small theater in Seattle. It is not to be confused with the 2021 movie of the same title. It is made up of six twenty-four to thirty-one-minute episodes.

It is focused chiefly on the personal dynamics of the cast and (unlike its namesake film of 2021) has relatively little serious to say about the play itself; it flirts with sexual shenanigans, alcohol abuse, and a lot with the vanity and pretensions of actors, want-to-be actors, and baristas; the prohibition against saying the name “Macbeth” in the theater is an overworked running gag by the end of the second episode. One gets the impression that the show runners were trying to reinvent Slings and Arrows for a more up-to-date audience, but more on a foundation of slapstick, and without the more costly investment in real characters with serious motivations. The results are somewhat predictable. Within a certain range, it is funny from time to time, though laced with crudity throughout; moreover, the story line doesn't really come to any particular conclusion by the end of the series. I get the impression that it was envisioned to be something bigger, but either the funding collapsed or it fell through for other reasons. It’s intermittently amusing, but as an educational experience pertaining to Shakespeare, I wouldn’t say it was worth anyone’s attention.

The program is rated "16+", which seems a fair assessment.

Buy The Scottish Play streaming from Amazon.