Odd productions of Macbeth #1 - no witches

I posted this some time ago but it seems to have gotten lost.... I have heard of productions without the witches - including one cut down production with no magic at all, this however is amusing. http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9D0CE1DD1F3FF934A1575AC0A967958260

Review/Theater; 'Macbeth' Without Witchcraft
By MEL GUSSOW
Published: September 27, 1991
Foul is fair in Gus Kaikkonen's vaguely updated version of "Macbeth" for the Riverside Shakespeare Company. The three witches have been transformed into attractive, nun-like Army nurses who begin the play by ministrating to the needs of wounded soldiers in a World War I field hospital. This is a confusing overlapping of the first and second scenes of the play.
Later the unweird sisters appear in Macbeth's nightmare, hovering around his bed along with a ubiquitous doctor to give him a shot of an unknown substance. In other words, in this quasi-interpretation, drugs may be the cause or the aftermath of Macbeth's mania. There is no cauldron in sight, no witches' brew, thunder or mystery. There is not much of a "Macbeth" on this stage, despite Stephen McHattie's performance in the title role.
In this troublesome approach, Lady Macbeth (Jennifer Harmon) is not a malevolent presence. Her sleepwalking scene is so mild, in fact, that it would not wake the neighbors. Almost everything is played out under bright lights, which vitiates the feeling of menace. Some of the doubling in roles is distracting. One witch, for example, also plays Lady Macduff, and King Duncan is also the Porter.
One distinct problem is the choice of military hardware. Some of the soldiers carry rifles, others have swords. Several, obviously low in rank, march into battle with small shovels. They look like garden tools, suitable for potted plants. A spade is a spade for all that, and theatergoers should have no doubt which characters will be the losers.
Though warned about the walking woods, Macbeth is surprised by a small band of soldiers carrying tiny twigs, what might be considered the bonsai version of Birnam. There are bigger boughs at any nearby sidewalk florist than there are onstage at Playhouse 91. The purpose may be thrift, but the result is overly spartan.
Behind all this cavalier conceptualization, there are a few defensible aspects to the Riverside "Macbeth," including Bob Barnett's useful, Japanese-style set. Mr. McHattie is a forthright Macbeth and is clearly capable of performing the role in a more faithful production. He is evenly matched by Richard McWilliams as Macduff. Their duel is the sharpest moment in the evening.
Earlier, Mr. McWilliams is victimized by one of Mr. Kaikkonen's more ill-conceived notions. When Macduff seeks out Malcolm to convince him to return to Scotland, he finds him lolling on a blanket with a lady friend. The couple look and sound like figures from an Oscar Wilde comedy. The lady, who does not exist as a character in Shakespeare, suddenly becomes Malcolm's protector and draws a pistol on Macduff, demanding that he lay off Malcolm. At this and other points, a theatergoer might be justified in borrowing Macbeth's final words: "Hold, enough!" Macbeth By William Shakespeare