‘Macbeth’ Lives Up to Its Full Title

In casual discussion, the titles of Shakespeare’s plays usually are shortened to just the protagonists’ names: “Hamlet,” “Othello,” “King Lear” and so on. But the Sacred Fools production of “The Tragedy of Macbeth” puts such eloquent emphasis on Macbeth’s self-inflicted downfall that it demands to be known by the full title.

Shakespeare’s story roughly parallels that of Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden. The Scottish Lord and Lady Macbeth live in grace as favorites of the king. But once greatness is whispered in Macbeth’s ear, it drowns out everything else. With his wife as conspirator, he murders the king and attains the crown, only to be cast out of paradise.

Director Joe Jordan relates this sprawling story with just seven identically dressed actors, from whom he has coaxed vigorously physical performances. The set and costumes are drenched in a color that looks, portentously, like dried blood, and the action is ominously underscored by electronic hums, thundering drums and the shrieks of plucked piano strings (composed by Jef Bek).

Jeff Elam, who plays Macbeth, is less physically imposing than the muscular Jay Edward Anthony, who plays King Duncan, or Mark TJ Lifrieri, who plays betrayed buddy Banquo. This lends Macbeth a poignant sense of ordinariness and vulnerability.

With her porcelain face and cascade of dark curls, Amy Bryson’s Lady Macbeth also looks delicate. But sexual heat and sheer force of will make her powerful. Whenever Macbeth wavers in his bloody plan, she is there to urge him on.

Again and again, Jordan (who staged last summer’s Brazilian carnival-flavored “The Comedy of Errors” at Sacred Fools) puts the action into unexpected perspective, enabling it to be seen in telling new ways. When the king and his retinue arrive at Macbeth’s home, for instance, they are left waiting for several uncomfortable moments at the gate--a little snub that forebodes the deadly one to come. Shortly thereafter, Lady Macbeth arrives as Macbeth is nearing the end of a soliloquy. He trails off, embarrassed to have been caught talking to himself.

When the performers--who also include Chad Brummet, Jessie Thompson and Christine Zirbel--aren’t part of the action, they’re manning the instruments.

While it’s a neat theatrical stunt to have so few actors tackling so many roles, confusion is unavoidable. (“Isn’t that the king? I thought he was dead.” “No, that actor is playing Macduff now.”)

The payoff comes in the end, when the multiple casting adds psychological dimension to Macbeth’s final moments. His first combatant on the battlefield is his former Lady Macbeth. And when Macbeth finally faces the entwined king/Macduff, the king seems to be acting through Macduff to see that justice is served.

“The Tragedy of Macbeth,” Sacred Fools Theatre, 660 N. Heliotrope Drive, Hollywood. Thursdays-Saturdays, 8 p.m. Ends Aug. 31. $15. (310) 281-8337. Running time: 2 hours, 50 minutes.