By the pricking of my thumb, a great Scottish tragedy this way comes. “A Macbeth,” directed by Anne Brady, takes the classic Shakespearian play and gives it a new look. This adaptation provides a glimpse into the inner thoughts and fears of the titular character. Not content with just his outward appearance and emotions, Charles Marowtz’s adaptation brilliantly contains three Macbeths. There is the lead Macbeth, played by Will Green, and two others who reveal his inner thoughts which otherwise would be hidden from the audience. The three play off each other and complement each other with great skill. By watching the inner dialogue between Green and the second and third Macbeths, Chad D’Entrone and Kyle Henderson respectively, the audience sees Macbeth’s descent from a moral and just subject into a murderous usurper. The inner turmoil, grief and lust for power are displayed with perfection. The lead Macbeth does an outstanding job in his role by making the audience both love and fear him at once.

Another change in this adaptation is the expanded role of the witches. While in the original play, the Weird Sisters appear infrequently, in “A Macbeth,” they take a more active role throughout the play. Macbeth becomes less a man doomed by his own decisions and more of a good man destroyed by the witches’ evil plot. The three women playing the witches are fantastic in their role by radiating darkness, evil and mystery. They often appear when Macbeth and/or Lady Macbeth are at their most vile.

Lady Macbeth, played by Naamah Harris, shines in her role: she is both heinous and beautiful at the same time. Watching her on stage, it is no surprise that Macbeth cannot deny her wishes for murder. She is passionate in her role and commands the stage when on it. Lady Macbeth, in this version, is also more directly involved with the witches. She directly affects the course of events, and the witches serve as real characters, instead of a metaphor as in the original.

Another actor who does a great job is Macduff, played by David Maslar. He conveys the strength inherent in the role while also displaying Macduff’s human side. His lamentations for his dead family show the audience how a man can be strong even while mourning.

This is a fantastic play with an outstanding cast. The fact that it diverges from the original helps make it more interesting to viewers. Though it still has all the classic speeches from the original, the observer is filled with suspense. Like any work of Shakespeare, the audience already knows how it will end, but in spite of this the audience is still captivated by “A Macbeth.” It can be seen April 28-29 and May 5-7 in the Watters Theater, all performances at 8 p.m. except Sunday, May 7, which is a 2 p.m. matinee. Tickets are $8 for students, $12 for faculty and seniors and $14 for everyone else. Get your tickets in advance at the Anderson Center box office or online at http://anderson.binghamton.edu/tickets.htm.