Ingenious Staging of ‘Macbeth’ at Church

If Shakespeare were alive today, would he be creating theme park attractions?

A stroll through Michael Holmes’ environmental staging of “Macbeth” at the Hollywood United Methodist Church makes the question seem far from frivolous. Shakespeare was no slouch when it came to spectacle, and here a great deal of ingenuity has been expended mapping this particularly atmospheric play into six scenic locales in and around the imposing neo-Gothic edifice.

The walled-in, landscaped courtyard makes a fine naturalistic setting for the action sequences involving murder, treachery and battle. It’s also a perfect backdrop for the eerie apparitions of disheveled witches--who serve double duty as perhaps the creepiest ushers on record, cackling “Follow, follow,” and other campy ad-libs as they herd the audience from scene to scene.

Some lapses in momentum and continuity are inevitable in the hurly-burly, especially during the dinner break cunningly wrapped into the banquet scene (a full meal is included in the ticket price).

The villainous Macbeth (Joseph Dean Vachon) and his hard-hearted Lady (Kym Sawtelle) labor valiantly, and usually successfully, to keep the focus on the play despite the distractions inherent in all the traipsing. In addition, Thomas Tofel’s virile Macduff injects a riveting steroid boost into the later sequences.

The serious-minded performances are commendably fluent with the language, though at times the ambient acoustics are a hindrance--in the cavernous sanctuary, for example, Vachon has to practically bellow Macbeth’s inward ruminations on mortality in the “Out, out brief candle” speech.

In an odd staging choice, the ghost of the murdered Banquo (Christopher Otto) never materializes--when guilt-racked Macbeth recoils from an empty chair, it’s sure to leave novitiates scratching their pates in puzzlement. Yet this is an ideal audience for what otherwise proves, despite the sacrifice of some textual subtleties, a hearty entree into Shakespeare’s classic.

* “Macbeth,” Hollywood United Methodist Church, 6817 Franklin Ave., Hollywood . Fridays-Sundays, 7:30 p.m. Ends Dec. 3. $29.50. (213) 660-TKTS. Running time: 2 hours, 40 minutes.