by Mike Hoban
‘Macbeth in Stride’ – Created and performed by Whitney White; Directed by Tyler Dobrowsky and Taibi Magar; Choreography Raja Feather Kelly; Orchestrations by Steven Cuevas and Whitney White; Music Director, Steven Cuevas; Scenic Design, Dan Soule; Sound Design, Alex Giorgetti; Lighting Design, Jeanette Oi-Suk Yew; Costume Design, Qween Jean. Presented by American Repertory Theater at the Loeb Drama Center, 64 Brattle St., Cambridge, through November 14.
Shakespeare has never been particularly kind to women, with many of his tragic “heroines” not making it through to the end of the play. Whether they died by their own hand, accident, or were murdered, the common thread has always been that they were generally partners to powerful men that were grossly insecure, paranoid or outright lunatics (Romeo aside). Lady Macbeth, the most brutally determined of all of Shakespeare’s women, is the driving force behind her husband’s ascension to the throne, convincing him to commit murder, but is rewarded for her blind ambition by going mad and committing suicide – offstage no less.
Whitney White, the Obie and Lilly Award-winning actor/director/musician (who previously directed What to Send Up When It Goes Down at the A.R.T. in 2019), has created Macbeth In Stride, a world premiere “concert play” that combines Shakespeare with pop, rock, gospel, and R&B music to produce a work that aims to make Macbeth more accessible to a range of audiences. Told from the perspective of Lady Macbeth in the voice of a contemporary Black woman, this entertaining piece examines how western society applauds ruthlessly ambitious men while demonizing women of the same ilk. As White says (in character) during the latter part of the performance, possibly echoing Lady M herself, “To get a leg up, there are no bad deeds.”
But Macbeth In Stride is much more of a concert performance than a play, and that’s also its real strength. The show opens with her ensemble of “witches” (Phoenix Best, Kira Helper, and Reggie D. White) clad in ministerial garb singing “If Knowledge Is Power”, before giving way to White’s entrance to “Hallelujah!” The witches strip down to steamier costumes more befitting a pop/rock show as White asks the crowd, “What’s up Cambridge?” She engages the audience and her ensemble in a discussion of the love and power dynamic between Lady M and her equally maniacally driven hubby, before ripping into the show’s best number, the soulfully rockin’ “Reach For It”, which could take its place among the ‘best of’ lists of Broadway rock show tunes, powered by a killer five piece band led by musical director Steven Cuevas.
White is a talented songwriter, drawing inspiration from The Doors, Rolling Stones, Tina Turner, and Nirvana, and her observations on Lady M and Shakespeare in general through the lens of a 21st century Black woman are thoughtful and well-communicated. She’s also a terrific singer/performer and is well-supported by her gifted ensemble, whom she banters with throughout, including one dig from Best, who asks why, “(Do) you want to rework a 400-year old play? For your own ego?”
The performance eventually shifts into more of a play with music, with White and Thurston delivering vignettes from Macbeth using the original text, including the scenes where she convinces her husband (an accordion-playing Charlie Thurston of Trinity Rep) to murder Duncan to claim the throne, as well as an enactment of her “Out, Damned Spot” descent into madness. Although White and Thurston are solid actors, and the music never really stops, the show seems to lose momentum somewhere during this juncture. I originally chalked it up to my own fatigue, but a pair of friends (who are long-time musical theater professionals) reported the same experience after the show, with one pointing out that the pacing would probably improve as the show continues its run. The show bounced back strong with its rousing final numbers, including a reprise of “Hallelujah!”
Macbeth In Stride is the A.R.T.’s second in-person show at the Loeb Drama Center, and is the first of a five-part series by White (commissioned by A.R.T.) focusing on the iconic women in the Shakespeare canon, including Othello, Antony and Cleopatra, and Romeo and Juliet. And while the 80-minute show doesn’t quite measure up to its early promise, it’s still an awfully good take for music (and Shakespeare) lovers. For tickets and information, go to: https://americanrepertorytheater.org
