MIKE BARA.com

I had the pleasure of attending the “Tiny Ninja’s Macbeth” presentation at The Fake theater in Hollywood on Monday night. Put on by my friend Christian Meoli and his production company Cabaret Voltaire, you actually have to see this to believe it. Tiny Ninja Theater is a New York City based company dedicated to the principle that “there are no small parts, only small actors,” and was founded in 1999 by company director Dov Weinstein. “I had noticed that there were these tiny plastic ninjas in vending machines all across the city,” said Weinstein, “but no one was using them to perform classical theater. Something had to be done.”

Frankly, the performance is hysterical. Weinstein is a brilliant actor -- and I’m not exaggerating when I say that – he knows all the parts and characters intimately and performs the play flawlessly. It’s just that the actors are all tiny ninja action figures. The “stage” is little table about the size of a briefcase, he uses magnetic bases to “move” the characters around, and the whole thing is projected on video screens so the audience can see clearly. His version of the play lasts about 45 minutes and involves set changes, costume changes and special effects. I laughed my head off the whole time, while also marveling at how good the oratory was.

Bottom line, if you get a chance to see Weinstein work his magic, whether it’s Macbeth or another Shakespeare play, do it. It’ll be the best 45 minutes of your week for sure.