When the voice of Todd Haimes, artistic director, welcomes the audience at the Laura Pels Theatre, the audience learns that the mission of the Roundabout Theatre Company is to revive classics and promote new works.   So, how would one describe “Scotland, PA,” a musical based upon Shakespeare’s “Macbeth.”  In a sense, I guess it is both.

While the classic play is a dark, sometimes chilling tale of murderous ambition, “Scotland, PA” begins as a humorous light story of a young married couple struggling to get ahead.  Both Mac (Ryan McCartan) and Pat (Taylor Iman Jones) work for Duncan, a greedy restaurant owner. Although Mac offers suggestions to improve his diner, Duncan disparages him, often ridiculing his ideas such as chicken nuggets and doughnut holes.  Duncan (depicted by Shakespeare as a kindly king) lives in splendor while his employees live in a trailer camp. He is not at all a sympathetic character.  At the beginning, Mac is content, having married Pat, the love of his life. However, three figures appear to him, promising him good fortune.  They are witches in Shakespeare, but in the musical, they are the voices in Mac’s head when he’s high from smoking.

When Duncan mocks Mac’s idea of a drive-through for the restaurant, it’s the last straw for Pat who suggests that they rob him to finance their own restaurant.   The robbery goes awry and Duncan falls into the new fryer, burning and killing him. The couple steal the money and buy the diner from Duncan’s son Malcolm, a closeted gay high school football player.

As Mac has success gorws, the musical gets more serious.  To hide their part in Duncan’s death, Mac kills Banko, his best friend.  Until his death, Banko is the comic relief of the play and Jay Armstrong Johnson is hysterical as the dimwitted stoner. McCartan is an attractive Mac as he begins somewhat nerdy but gains in power, stands straighter and sings more powerfully.

The three ‘voices,’ singers Wonu Ogunfowora, Alysha Umphress, and David Rossmer look like hippies and seem to be partying, even as disaster strikes.Some of the songs (music and lyrics by Adam Gwon) are quite catchy and tuneful while other songs are lackluster.  Adapted from the original 2001 cult film “ Scotland, PA,”  Michael Mitnick ‘s book is clever and creative.

The biggest laugh of the musical is a visual one, as Mac gets to implement his ideas.  The audience smiles in recognition at his restaurant, a thinly disguised MacDonalds.  A character called Ray Kroc comes to discuss franchises with him.  The ‘voices’ lull Mac with a false sense of safety when they make three ambiguous predictions.  Later Mac realizes that one of them, mountains covered with blood, refer to his golden arches.

The musical has the intimate feel of an Off-Broadway show. However, some of the older subscription holders to The Roundabout might not find the show to their liking but it would be wonderful follow-up for 10^thgrade English class that just finished studying the Shakespearean classic.