In all walks of life, there are strange taboos of an unspoken nature. This is particularly true of theatre companies specialising in “Shakespeare”. For example, during a performance of Macbeth, they are not allowed to call him by his first name, but must refer to him as “the King of Scotland”. If these three notes are uttered off stage, then ……Ghost Light

An unorthodox theatre company that has travelled a long way to reach the remote ‘Riverside Theatre’. Here, they will ‘join forces’ to present a production of Macbeth to the likely seasonal visitors. The troupe is not much of a troupe, but it is a lot of fun. In addition to the Macbeth taboo, they also believe in the “ghost light” – a light must be kept on when the stage is idle or the actors will face bloodshed. And when it comes to the cast, the relationships between this rabble are even more complicated and bloody.

The “Old King” and the “Old Witch” are played by an elderly couple of English origin, for whom Shakespeare is like a square dance; the stage manager and the “Little Witch” are young lovebirds with no interests other than spreading dog food; and the Dragon A and Dragon B are a pair of deep closets who long to “fence” but are too ashamed to say so; with such an unreliable ensemble, the director and assistants have to be ready to step in at a moment’s notice.

The only moneymakers in the troupe are Alexander and Lizzy, who are so far removed from each other. In return, they were able to play Macbeth and the Queen respectively. But Alexander, who is a theatre lover, can’t act at all. The whole company is just playing along with him for money. …… This leads to Thomas, the second actor as Banquo, who is always eager for a chance to replace him.

There is nothing wrong with healthy competition. However, our boy Thomas is not only looking to take over the role on stage, he is also looking for a real-life husband. …… On the night of his arrival at the theatre, he and his boss, Lizzy, break almost every taboo in the company by hiding out on stage. The two don’t even notice that the “ghost light” behind them has been quietly extinguished …… The next day, the troupe dives into an intense rehearsal schedule in earnest. It was only then that the theatre’s caretaker sisters arrived late. Just as the group had met, another sweet young woman, Juliette (Danielle Campbell), arrived unannounced. In fact, she is a backpacker on a hiking trip. She had come to apply for a job as a yoga teacher at the resort, but unfortunately the studio had closed down a few years ago.

However, the men in the room were enchanted by her. Juliette was invited to stay and play the role of the second witch in the play. The girl is generous enough to accept the offer. But on the other hand, Alexander had a little accident. A tipped choreographer hits him on the head, and it looks like he won’t be able to perform for a while. The director suspected that Thomas was behind it, but there was nothing he could do about it but to arrange for him to take over the lead role. Strangely enough, Thomas and Lizzie did have good motives and intentions, but they didn’t actually do anything to hurt Alexander.

Instead, the two men have fallen into unresolved nightmares after the incident. Lizzy always saw her hands covered in blood, which she could not rinse off. Thomas was tormented by endless visions. Sometimes Lizzie suddenly turns into a demon, sometimes Juliet appears in front of him drunkenly, but more often than not, it is the three witches who urge him to be the real Macbeth. …… Outrageously, the next day Alexander is completely healthy. fully recovered. What’s more, his acting has improved dramatically and he is fully in character. Thomas was tormented by visions and lost the lead role that was so close at hand. The more he thought about it, the angrier and more perverse he became, the more he contemplated killing Alexander. However, just as he swings his oar, Alexander in front of him inexplicably takes on his own form. In the end, not only does Thomas fail to kill the man, he becomes a laughing stock …… As the machiavellian “dogs and men” get worse and worse, the big-hearted Alexander gets better and better at it.

The nonsensical farce continues until the eve of the premiere. The caretaker brings the company great news – all tickets are sold out and the Riverside Theatre will be packed for the first time in its history. The curtain rises slowly on Macbeth as the chickens come home to roost.
The story of one of Shakespeare’s ‘Four Great Tragedies’ is not a complicated one. It is about a lustful Macbeth who, at the behest of three witches, goes to great lengths to murder his cousin, his colleague and his retainer. Although he succeeds in usurping the throne and becoming King of Scotland, he is eventually disowned and beheaded in the street. The assassination of Thomas as General Banquo by Macbeth is one of the highlights of the play. His ‘death’ is beautifully acted on stage, but offstage, the assassins, Dragon A and Dragon B, simply miss their time on stage.

In other words, Thomas was literally killed by something …… The second climax of the play is the psychotic death of the villainous “Queen”. Not surprisingly, her character Lizzie also drinks the real poison on stage …… After their “martyrdom”, the show continues. The director and his assistant are puzzled but can’t bear to interrupt one of the company’s rare “over-the-top” performances. That is, until the three abominable witches took to the stage …… Yes, Juliette and the caretaker sisters, who appear out of nowhere after the “ghost light” has gone out, are proper “theatre witches”.

It doesn’t matter who Thomas or Alexander is playing Macbeth, a perfect Shakespearean play is what they are after. The crowd finds out the truth too late and is locked in the warehouse by the witches, unable to move. Outside, the theatre has been reduced to a “ghostly light”.

Whether it be the actors on stage. or the audience, all are just ghosts entertaining themselves …… When the show is over, Thomas and Lizzy take the stage after the witch to close the curtain. Their ambition has brought the witch’s curse on them, but in the curse they have been granted their wish.