Jake Cole Shines in the Darkness of 'Macbeth'

Jake Cole as Macbeth. Photo by Seth Schroeder for the Daily Eastern News.

Macbeth faces his fate.

Let us speak freely, our hearts each to the other. I have to tell you how excellent Jake Cole was as Macbeth at Eastern Illinois University — scornful, graceful, with an intelligible veneer of Scots accent and his naturalistic acting style easily illuminating the meaning of the arcane text for an audience unfamiliar with Shakespeare. He brought dark drama, madness and even humor to the role.

I should also mention the way Jake effortlessly springs onto the stage at one point in a standing jump — a purely theatrical touch, made possible by his athleticism, which prompts a satisfying gasp from the audience. Bravo.

And to our Sean Copeland too, with an amusing drunken turn as Lennox.

The play also contains one of my favorite lines: "Receive what cheer you may. The night is long that never finds the day."