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''MacHomer'' is a one-person play by Rick Miller which blends William Shakespeare's tragedy ''Macbeth'' with the animated television series ''The Simpsons''. Miller first conceived of the idea in 1994, when he was performing in a production of ''Macbeth''. The first performance of ''MacHomer'' was at the Montreal Fringe Festival in 1995. ''MacHomer'' has been re-written a number of times. The early version of the play was more of a stand-up comedy routine, but in 2000, it was expanded into a theatrical production. In 2006, for the 10th anniversary tour, Miller further revamped the play, adding new songs and characters, and incorporating videos. The script of the play "remains 85% Shakespeare" and mostly follows the plot of ''Macbeth''. Miller performs the various roles using voices from ''The Simpsons'' characters, using more than 50 voices. The set includes a video screen at the back of the stage, and sound and video effects are incorporated into the performance. Miller has performed the play in over 150 cities around the world, including performances at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe, the Melbourne International Comedy Festival, and the Just for Laughs comedy festival. ''MacHomer'' has received largely positive reviews from critics, with praise going to Miller's impersonations. However, some critics felt that the play seems more like a group of sketches, while others felt that Miller's Homer Simpson voice was one of his weaker impersonations. According to Miller, ''The Simpsons'' creator Matt Groening is a fan of the play and gave him permission to perform it. ==History== Canadian comedian Rick Miller first conceived of the idea of blending ''The Simpsons'' and Shakespeare in 1994. At the time, Miller was performing in a production of ''Macbeth'', playing the minor role of Murderer No. 2. He said, "That's a small role, so I had a lot of time to sit backstage and concoct ideas, one of which was to make fun of our production. By then, ''The Simpsons'' had become a big part of pop culture, so I decided to do the voices of those cartoon characters in my mangled version of the play." He performed a skit at that night's closing party, which was well received.〔 According to Miller, he does "half of ''MacBeth'' because you can only carry the joke so far. The rest is a mix of ‘Simpsonisms.’" At first, he "did the show as a sort of brutally edited Coles Notes version of the play," while still keeping the language.〔 Miller believes the fusion works well because "''The Simpsons'' and ''Macbeth'' are both about dysfunctional families. The TV show's lasted because it has this basic humanity, while the play is one of Shakespeare's shortest, bloodiest works and has some of his best-known lines."〔 The first performance of ''MacHomer'' was at the Montreal Fringe Festival in 1995. At the time, the play "was a very basic version with a few slides and me at a mike stand."〔 Miller began touring the following year.〔 He has consistently changed parts of the play since its premiere. Until 2000, ''MacHomer'' was mainly a sketch comedy routine, but that year he expanded it into more of a theatrical production. The overhaul was Miller's effort "to turn it into a play I could feel comfortable touring the world with, as opposed to just playing the odd college."〔 In 2006, for the 10th anniversary tour, Miller further revamped the play, adding new songs and characters, and incorporating videos. As of 2011, ''MacHomer'' is presented by WYRD Productions and directed by Sean Lynch. The lighting and stage design are by Beth Kates.〔 Initially, Miller worried that lawyers for ''The Simpsons'' would try to stop him from performing the play. At the 2000 Edinburgh Festival Fringe, the cast members of the television series were performing a special reading of dialog that featured their characters. When the producers found out that Miller was also at the festival, they invited him to a cast party. There he met ''The Simpsons'' creator Matt Groening, who had previously seen a video of ''MacHomer''. According to Miller, "next thing I knew, Matt Groening was shaking my hand, was giving me his blessing and was telling me he'd do all he could to help me continue my show. It's the best situation I could have dreamed of. No one is suing me, or asking for royalties, either."〔 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「MacHomer」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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