Voodoo Macbeth
Before Citizen Kane and The War of the Worlds, leading Broadway actress Rose McClendon (Inger Tudor, “Goliath,” “On Time”) and producer John Houseman convince a gifted but untested 20-year-old Orson Welles (Jewell Wilson Bridges, the national tours of “My Fair Lady” and “La Cage Aux Folles” in his feature film debut), to direct Shakespeare’s Macbeth with an all-Black cast in Harlem. Reimagined in a Haitian setting, this production, which came to be known as “Voodoo Macbeth,” would change the world forever, but the road to opening night proves to be a difficult one. Orson and Rose – who is to play Lady Macbeth – clash over everything from scene blocking to crew hires, while Houseman contends with a congressman hell-bent on shutting down what he deems “communist propaganda.” Welles and McClendon must overcome political pressure, personal demons, and protests to realize their groundbreaking vision.
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