Also this issue: Star Crossed David Stephens’ installation at Gallery Joe takes a new look at an old symbol. -Susan Hagen Phantoms, No Opera -David Shengold Urban Tap -Janet Anderson The Fever -Debra Auspitz Heckler -Toby Zinman A View From The Bridge -David Anthony Fox Magic Flute -David Shengold

February 27-March 5, 2003

artpicks

MacHomer

by Steve Cohen

A plethora of Macbeth's is converging on Philly, with three different versions of the Scottish tale coming in the next five weeks. The Philadelphia Shakespeare Festival is doing the Bard's version April 4 and the Opera Company of Philadelphia is presenting Verdi's musical adaptation on March 14. But the most unusual take on the murderous king is Rick Miller's MacHomer, playing this weekend at the Annenberg Center.

In this version, the Canadian actor plays 50 roles using voices from The Simpsons. "It's the meeting of two dysfunctional families," says the 32-year-old Miller. "I was the Second Murderer in a Montreal production of Macbeth in 1994 when I dreamed up the idea and did it at a cast party. Everyone thought it was funny, so I turned it into a Fringe Festival production in Montreal the next year. It was small. Just me at a mike, with 300 slide drawings that I made. My wife ran the projector." Other Canadian presentations followed, while Miller also continued his serious acting and writing.

The Edinburgh Fringe Festival invited Miller to bring MacHomer to Scotland -- Macbeth's backyard -- in 2000, where it ran alongside an official Simpsons TV script reading. Miller was scared that he'd be accused of copyright infringement, but, he says, "Matt Groening [creator of The Simpsons] shook my hand and told me he loved my show." Miller's creation has no official connection with The Simpsons but they don't charge me anything for the use of their characters." The script is 85-percent Shakespeare, interlaced with references to The Simpsons.

Miller reminds us that Shakespeare was pop culture in his day, so "I think he'd prefer our version to an overstuffed, overly reverent production."

MacHomer, Fri.-Sun., Feb. 28-March 2, $26-35, Zellerbach Theatre, Annenberg Center, 3680 Walnut St., 215-898-3900.