A celebration of the play that will not be named drew an enthusiastic crowd on Sunday at 11:30AM in Hilton Galleria 5, for “The Scottish Play: An Analysis of M——” (title of play omitted for safety). Caro McCully served as moderator for the BritTrack panel, with panelists Neil Hellegers, Bill Hussar, Mark Hefferman, and Trey Lawson. 

“Double, double toil and trouble; Fire burn, and cauldron bubble,” a witch chants, cementing “The Scottish Play” [you know the one we’re talking about] by William Shakespeare as a fine example of fantasy injected into historical drama. The play’s enduring themes of ambition, revenge, equivocation, and manipulation, joined with the presence of the witches and the battle scene, has ensured its popularity for centuries. 

The panelists remarked on versions of the play that included actors beloved in fantasy genres (Ian McKellen, Patrick Stewart) and directed by momentous directors (Joel Cohen, Roman Polansky, co-directors Kenneth Branagh and Rob Ashford). They also noted literary works inspired by the play, like Sleep No More (play created by the group Punchdrunk), Weird Sisters (novel by Terry Pratchett), and King Hereafter (historical novel by Dorothy Dunnett). 

Throughout the panel, every time McCully said the name of the lead character, the lights flickered. The audience laughed but some feared a technical meltdown. 

Disclaimer: No electronics were harmed in the writing of this article.