The fourth International Festival of Professional Theatres for Children and Youth, Novi Sad Theatre Festival 2025 (May 7–11), concluded with the Canadian production Macbeth Muet, based on William Shakespeare's tragedy Macbeth. The play was performed by the touring theatre company La Fille Du Laitier from Montreal/Quebec, and hosted at the Youth Theatre in Novi Sad on May 11.
Marie-Hélène Bélanger Dumas and Jon Lachlan Stewart are the creators of the production and the puppet designers (alongside set and costume designer Cédric Lord), while Bélanger Dumas and Jérémie Francoeur perform in this exceptional and, in many ways, fascinating show. The performance follows Macbeth’s (Francoeur) descent from his fateful encounter with the Fates (represented by black paper “origami frogs”) and his return to Lady Macbeth (Bélanger Dumas), through interactions with key characters: Banquo (a white plastic plate with two black circles for eyes—his wife is a similar plate with a hair bow, and their son is a small plate), Macduff (represented by a knight’s glove, with his wife portrayed by a soft mitten), and the King (a playing card – the king of hearts).
Family dynamics are depicted with remarkable creativity, including both passionate and tender erotic moments and the symbolic or violent deaths of children (represented by breaking eggs), typically followed by murder. Although we are aware that these are theatrical illusions, the blood (red-dyed corn syrup) splashes convincingly across the stage, and the actors' facial expressions carry genuine menace.
The story is rich with both grim and humorous details that do not distract from the narrative but rather enhance its dark impact. Everyday objects—plastic plates and cups, egg cartons, candlesticks, signs, and scrolls—lose their original function in this new context and become integral to the eerie and bloody atmosphere. This is particularly evident in the choice of music (by Jon Lachlan Stewart), where light, nostalgic pop melodies often foreshadow ominous events.
It may seem unusual for a Shakespearean play—written by a master of language—to be performed like a silent film. However, in a post-show discussion, Bélanger Dumas explained this approach as a deliberate attempt to preserve the spirit and atmosphere of the Bard’s work without diminishing the power of his metaphor-rich and poetic language.
Macbeth Muet is the kind of rare theatrical experience where artistic intelligence and audience enjoyment are tightly intertwined.
Olga Vujović