The Shows Go On

You can feel the literary slap in the face from across the centuries. Sound and fury. Sturm and Drang.Shock and awe. Meaninglessness.

And then there's the personal effects of the carnage, typified by Macbeth's most famous image, that of the insane Lady Macbeth's (played by Kimberly Fisher) futile effort to wash blood from her hands.

She is us. In the moment, a betrayal, a murder or a war may seem the best courses of action. But there are repercussions no one can anticipate. Macbethis a reminder that once you unleash the dogs of war—or of jealousy or of vengeance—it's a bitch trying to rein them back in.

Later that night, you're back at Big's, this time for a beer. You glance at the TV. The war plays on.

Macbeth at the Hunger Artists Theater, 699-A S. State College Blvd., Fullerton, (714) 680-6803. Opens Fri. Fri.-Sat., 8 p.m.; Sun., 7 p.m. Through April 27. $12-$15.